Wagering on Love
by Simon Diamond
Summary: Randy Orton agrees to participate in a bet... where he has to hook up with Molly Holly. His initial disgust at the idea, soon turns into blossoming love. That enrages Molly's best friend Trish Stratus, who is jealous of her. Can love conquer all?
1. The Bet

**Wagering on Love  
**By Simon Diamond

**Rating:** R

**Disclaimer:** The characters portrayed in this fiction are property of World Wrestling Entertainment inc. No infringement of rights is intended, this fiction is purely for enjoyment purposes only and no profit is sought to be gained from it.

**Main Characters:** Randy Orton and Molly Holly.  
**Supporting Characters:** Matt Hardy, Trish Stratus, Chris Jericho, Christian

**Summary:** Randy Orton and his friends are going through a lean patch, when it comes to women... They decide to have a little bet between them, where the winner will be the first to bed their girl – who is selected at random. Randy draws the unenviable task of 'chasing' Molly Holly. He thinks it's going to be his worst nightmare, but things aren't always as they seem...

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Bet**

"Hey guys, what's happening?"

Randy Orton strode through the arena canteen with a spring in his step, having extended his winning streak on the live show that evening. He waltzed over towards the table inhabited by his three closest friends; Chris Jericho faced him, Christian and Matt Hardy sat with their backs to him. They were the only people in the room, the show had ended an hour previously and most of their colleagues didn't hang around afterwards.

"Randall my boy, nice going out there tonight." Jericho enthused. Randy shrugged his shoulders, brushing his comment off as if to say, 'what's new?'

Matt and Christian turned to face the chiseled model-like body of Randy, and added their thoughts. "You're on a roll bro, don't forget us when you reach the top!" Matt joked.

"Yeah, I'm noticing some of my peeps getting down with the R-K-O... Go easy on old captain charisma buddy!" Christian added.

"What can I say guys... I'm Randy Orton." He purred, "Everybody loves me." His three friends looked at each other, and collectively shook their heads.

"Is that right Randall? So how come the chicks aren't all over you like a rash?" Chris posed an interesting question. It was a question that Randy had a hard time answering; for all his popularity in arenas around the country, nobody had asked him on a date for months. It was a situation that had begun to bother him.

"Well... when was the last date any of you guys had?" Randy retorted, trying to save face. Chris, Matt and Christian couldn't hide from the truth either; this quartet were 'unlucky in love' as they say.

"It's a good point." the sensible Matt suggested.

"What are we going to do about it?" Christian pondered.

All four men racked their brains for a way round the problem, and as usual it was the sharp as a tack Y2J that came up with a killer idea.

"How's about we turn this dilemma into a bit of friendly competition... Heck, stuff friendly competition... How's about we turn this into a bet?" he enthused.

"Sounds cool to me." Randy reacted. Both Matt and Christian concurred and a figure of $100 each was agreed on for the bet amount, with the stipulation being that they had to bed the girl in question.

"Okay guys, here's the deal. We're going to select four of the girls in the locker room as our 'targets'. Each of us will select a girl who will then be included in our contest." Chris said, smirking at the concept he'd conjured up.

"Oh man, I want Trish Stratus!" Randy blurted out, prompting raised eyebrows from the other three. "What?!"

"Okay, Randy... Matt, who's your pick?" Chris asked.

"Hmm... That's a tough one." Matt answered, scratching his head for ideas.

"Some time today please Matt!" Christian hurried him along.

"Right, right, keep your hair on... I want Victoria." Matt replied, prompting yet more raised eyebrows and murmurings.

"Interesting choice V1... And who is going to be Captain Charisma's lady?" Chris inquired.

"Easy! I want Gail Kim!" Christian responded enthusiastically. Cue more eyebrow raising.

"Well guys, it's great to find out who you all have crushes on! But I'm afraid none of you are going to be partnering those girls." Chris said with a maniacal grin on his face.

"Huh? Hey that's not fair man!" Randy replied, frowning about Chris' revelation.

"Fear not, those girls are going to be included in the contest though. You just wont be allowed to go after the girl you selected!"

That proposal went down like the proverbial lead balloon. But their dissention soon subsided as they awaited Chris' choice of diva to 'enter' their contest.

"Now for my choice. Who should I pick? The lovely Lita perhaps? How about the salacious Stacy? No... no... no..."

Randy looked at both Matt and Christian and shrugged his shoulders. 'Who could it be?' he deliberated.

"Let's add a wildcard to the equation. One of you three lucky guys, is going to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to try your luck with... None other than Miss Molly Holly!" Chris said, laughing at his own genius. In his mind, no guy stood a chance with the prude from Minnesota. She was perhaps the only uninitiated girl in the entire WWE...

"What! No way!" Randy shouted with disgust. Matt and Christian didn't seem as bothered about it, but both secretly crossed their fingers under the table.

"Let's spin the bottle and decide our prey for this competition then boys!" Chris continued. He picked up a ketchup bottle sat in the middle of an adjoining table and placed it flat on their table. He ushered the other guys out of their seats and arranged three of them, to make an imaginary triangle between them at the edge of the table. "Naturally we will start with Randy's choice, Toronto's very own vixen... Trish Stratus!" Jericho seemed to really be enjoying himself, whilst the other guys started to wonder what they had let themselves in for.

The bottle span and finished up facing Matt. "Result!" he called out and did his V1 salute as a mini celebration. Chris and Christian shrugged off the disappointment of missing out on the beautiful Canadian, and turned their attention to the next possible choice.

"Next up, it's the wackiest girl in wrestling, Victoria!" Chris announced. The bottle rotated agonizingly past Randy and ended up pointing at Chris himself. "Ho hum! I guess I will have to bring her into line!"

Randy felt a nauseous sensation rise up from his stomach towards his throat. It was between him and Christian for the wooden spoon in this contest. He didn't particularly want to go chasing after Gail, but anything had to be better than Molly.

"Christian. Randy. One of you is going to target the Asian sensation, Gail Kim. The other will be sentenced to the purgatory that is the not-so Mighty Molly. Good luck." Chris said, loving the looks of horror on Christian and Randy's faces. "If the bottle lands on you, congratulations. If it doesn't, bad luck buddy."

The bottle was spun and made several revolutions, as the competitors watched on; each praying that it would end up facing them. Randy watched it pass him and slow up in time to aim towards Christian, forcing him to slam his fists down in a fit or rage. Christian's initial look of delight, turned to one of consternation as Randy grabbed the table and flipped it up, nearly taking out the onlooking Matt and Chris. After his show of petulance, he stormed away not wishing to discuss the matter further.

"Good luck with mission impossible Randall!" Chris yelled across the canteen in his direction. Randy's only response was to hold up his right hand and offer a rather unsavoury gesture.

"Gotta feel sorry for the man." Matt said, the voice of reason as ever.

"Serves the little punk right... Perhaps his ego will deflate a little now." Chris replied.

"So you can reassert yourself as the biggest jackass on Raw?" Christian offered wittily, to the dismay of Chris.

"Me, a jackass? I'm the king of the world baby! Add Queen Victoria to the equation, and you have a sure fire $300 in my pocket! Ching ching!"

Matt rolled his eyes, turning his attention to Randy, who had just barged his way through the double doors at the exit to the canteen. He was concerned that a friendship could be squandered for the sake of a stupid throwaway bet... It simply wasn't worth it in his opinion. He was determined to help Randy with his task, because deep down he believed that Molly might be as good a partner for him as anybody else. He wasn't sure why, it was just a hunch he had...


	2. The Set up

**Chapter 2: The Set-up**

Out in the corridor leading away from the canteen, Randy was met by the sight he was dreading more than anything; Molly. There she was, stood chatting to somebody on her cell phone. 'You mean she actually has friends?' he wondered. He looked her up and down, he didn't find anything remotely appealing about her. She hung up on her conversation and shot the daggers in his direction.

"What are you looking at?" she asked.

"Nothing much. Certainly nothing worth looking at anyway." he shot back coldly. Molly's eyes narrowed, forming a stormy complexion on her face. As much as she wanted to turn away and ignore the 'idiot' in her presence, she was compelled to confront him and make a point.

"What makes you think you can talk down your nose to me? You think because your dad was a doormat round here for years, that you can waltz around as if you own the place?" she said assertively.

"And it's okay for you to go round all high and mighty?" he replied, ignoring her questions.

"I've paid my dues, I've served my apprenticeship." she answered haughtily.

"Yeah, and you're still a nobody. When was your last win again?" he affirmed his cocky assertion of her position within the company. Rock bottom in other words.

"Very good Randy... Vince had so much faith in you, that he had you lose the world title after one month."

"Whatever. At least the fans like me."

"Keep kidding yourself."

"I don't even know why I am wasting my time talking to an ugly ass chick like you. I mean look at you... Can't you see how much of a mess you are?" Randy spluttered, not being able to hold back from saying what was going through his mind. Molly had hardly any make-up on, her short brown hair was ruffled and she was sporting her usual dull attire; black stretch pants and a black corset with a couple of blue stripes down the sides, for 'effect'.

A tense silence ensued for a few seconds as Molly took in what she had just heard. Randy stood with a grin of satisfaction on his face, he assumed he'd had the last say in their war of words. He couldn't have been further from the truth... As Molly drove a knee viciously into his nether regions. His eyes widened, as the pain shot through him and made his knees buckle.

"Stay out of my way Orton." was her parting shot, as she left him to writhe in agony on the ground.

Randy groaned, as the brunette stormed away. 'Bitch.' he thought to himself.

"Randy! What happened?" It was Matt, who was checking to see how Randy was coping. Not too good as it turned out.

"Molly Holly... That's what happened."

* * *

"Hey Molly... What's the matter?" Trish inquired, as her new found friend Molly slammed the door behind her on the way into the divas locker room.

"Randy Orton... That's what." she replied, with resentment evident in her voice.

"Hey, he's kind of cute... did he hit on you?"

"Trish... he's a jerk."

"Maybe... but he's still cute!"

"Well, if you want him... try the local medical facility." Molly joked, smirking about the low blow she had landed. Trish looked puzzled by her jibe.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He called me an ugly ass chick... so I took it upon myself to rearrange his prize assets."

"Molly!"

"He asked for it... You'd have done the same. Right?"

"I guess so... But he's still cute." Trish replied, smitten by the thought of Randy.

"You're welcome to him." Molly said, leaving her friend to daydream about the young man from St. Louis, whilst she prepared for a shower.

There was a loud rap on the door, which provoked Trish to jump to her feet to answer the call. "Hey Moll, maybe it's Randy!" She opened the door, and was met by the less thrilling sight, in her eyes at least, of Matt Hardy. "Oh, hey Matt."

"Um... hey Trish." Matt said, looking goofy for a split second. He tried to find the right way of posing his question to the stunning woman stood in front of him. He was awestruck by her beauty.

"Can I help you?" she queried, confused by his presence.

"Maybe. I was kind of... Well, I wondered... Um..." he blathered.

"Come on, spit it out!" she said impatiently.

"Okay... How are you and Molly fixed for tonight?"

"Depends who wants to know..." she teased, a frown present on her face.

"Well... I was just speaking with Randy..." he started, before being cut off unceremoniously.

"We'll be there! Pick us up after the show!" she said enthusiastically.

"Oh... Okay. See you then!" Matt responded, shocked by her sudden outburst. 'I hope Randy doesn't kill me for doing this...'

* * *

Matt caught up with Randy, and prepared to break the news of their 'date' later that evening. He figured that the thought of spending some time with Trish, who had been his preferred selection earlier, would cheer him up somewhat. He also guessed it might be wise to conveniently forget to mention that Molly would be there too.

"Hey Randy, guess who I just bumped into?" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Who cares." Randy replied apathetically.

"You will... I bumped into Trish Stratus! And she said she would come out with us tonight!"

"Great. So I will get to sit around and watch you hit on the girl I picked earlier." He wasn't thrilled by the prospect, as he sat sulking on a bench.

"Come on man, it's not like that. I'm not going to try anything, I asked her to come out tonight in order to cheer you up a bit." Matt informed him, a genuine response. He didn't plan to hit on Trish, but he hoped that they could all become friends to give him a head start as far as the bet was concerned. He also desperately wanted Randy and Molly to clear the air...

"Fine. Just don't expect me to be the life and soul, okay?" Randy said, reluctantly agreeing to the proposal. He had no idea what he was actually letting himself in for...

* * *

Molly emerged from the shower, with a thick white towel wrapped around her body, whilst drying her head with a smaller towel. "Who was that at the door?" she probed Trish.

"Matt. He wanted to know if we fancied hooking up with him later." Trish answered.

"Did he? Who else is going?"

Trish crossed her fingers behind her back, and told a little white lie. "Just him I think. He said he'd pick us up after the show."

Molly was bemused by the premise of Matt asking the two of them out that evening. She was even more confused by the apparent enthusiasm of Trish to go along with the plan. "I hope you are not up to your usual tricks..."

"Me? Puh-lease!" Trish responded.

"Well... I was kind of hoping to spend an hour at church this evening, so maybe I will meet up with you both later on, okay?" Molly suggested.

"Great! Call me when you're done and I'll let you know where we are hanging." Trish reacted. 'That was easy!' she thought to herself, pleased that she was going to get to spend some time with the Legend Killer...


	3. The Date

**Chapter 3: The Date**

"I'm telling you... you should have her seen her face, it was so funny!" Trish said, laughing along with her own dialogue. Matt also found it amusing, but Randy sat glumly at their table, slumped at it with his head in his hands. He'd resolved to mind his own business at the bar they occupied and basically get slaughtered.

He couldn't get the stupid bet out of his head. 'Molly frickin' Holly. Ugh.' On a brighter note, he was starting to count his blessings that he hadn't selected Trish, because her voice was getting on his nerves. And her incessant giggling was enough to drive any sane man round the bend.

"Hey Randy, cheer up!" she said, beaming a bright smile in his direction. "Is he always like this Matt?"

"He'll survive." Matt replied, patting Randy on the shoulder playfully. Randy grimaced, and turned away from them. 'At least Molly isn't here...'

He heard a familiar sounding voice emerge from the other side of the table. "Hey Trish, finally found this place... Traffic was a nightmare... Hey Matt, good to see you!"

'Great. She is here after all.'

"Who's your friend..." Molly started, but then realized who was sat next to Matt. "What's he doing here?"

"Randy? He tagged along with us earlier... is that a problem?" Matt said innocently, expecting a furious backlash from an irate looking Molly.

Molly huffed, and folded her arms. "Maybe."

"Hi Molly." Randy said, turning slowly to face the woman who'd punked him out earlier. The two exchanged a brief stare off, neither giving an inch. Matt and Trish glanced at one another, waiting for the fireworks to go off, but none were forthcoming.

Randy broke from the angered stare off and allowed himself to take in the sight of Molly. Something clicked inside of him; it was as if a different woman was stood before him, compared to the one he'd seen earlier. Her hair was tidily presented, her face was bright, her luscious lips glistened, and she was dressed in a very stylish blouse accompanied by a smart pair of jeans. She looked positively elegant, and he had no way of denying it. The slightest of smiles began to appear subconsciously on his face.

Molly's frown also subsided, when she saw the smile begin to show on the model face of Randy; he looked so debonair in his expensive suit. When she scratched away at the surface and delved past his undeniable ego, she could not refute that he was indeed a fine specimen. 'Somebody I wouldn't stand a chance with in a million years.' she pondered.

"Erm... Can I get you a drink Molly?" Randy asked tentatively. He felt uneasy about the emotions running through his veins, but wanted to test the waters. And after seeing how hot she looked when she dressed up...

"Well... Okay, why not." Molly replied. A faint smile began to appear on her face too. They proceeded to follow each other across to the bar, a move that left Matt and Trish completely bewildered in their wake.

"What the?" Trish exclaimed. "Did you drug Randy or something?"

"I was wondering the same thing about Molly... This is the same Molly that left him writhing on the floor earlier, isn't it?"

"Oh, so you know about that?" Trish quizzed him.

"Yeah..."

"And you still asked us to come out with you?!"

"Yeah... I'm crazy, I know. But you didn't have to accept..." Matt implied.

"Good point." Trish agreed. The two of them stared intently at the odd couple stood at the bar, trying to make out what they were discussing.

* * *

"Rand..."

"Moll..." They both spoke at the same time. "After you." Randy said politely.

"Okay... I'm not sorry for what I did earlier... but, I can't see any reason not to put that behind us." Molly offered a truce.

"I... Well... I guess you're right. I can be a bit of a jackass sometimes, I must admit." he responded, holding his hands up for once in his life.

"A bit?"

"Okay... I get the message, just don't hit me so hard next time!" Randy laughed and garnered a similar response from Molly.

"Hard? That was nothing..."

A sort of uneasy silence followed, as both of them felt hot under the collar. Neither was sure of what sort of territory they were getting themselves into, or what the true reasoning was for their sudden ceasefire. But neither could deny there was a spark between them, and that spark might well have ignited something much bigger than they could ever imagine possible.

"Listen Molly, what I said earlier... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said." Randy apologized. Molly saw the sadness in his eyes; he looked genuinely remorseful for the way he had acted earlier. As hard as she was internally, she couldn't help but feel bad about the way she had acted earlier as well.

"Alright, maybe I didn't need to knee you... well, you know where. Sorry." she expressed her own regret, in a bashful kind of way.

She noticed Randy hold out his palm in her direction, and thought for a split second before hesitantly placing her hand on it. Randy scooped it up to his lips; she could feel his warm breath on the back of her hand, which was enough to make her feel fuzzy inside. He brushed a light kiss against her soft skin, then released her hand, and smiled the sweetest smile she had ever seen.

"What was that for!" she exclaimed, giddy about what had just transpired.

"I just felt like it."

"Do you kiss every girls hand that you meet?"

"Only the worthy ones... Only the ones whose names rhyme..."

Molly blushed at his chat-up line, rolling her eyes at what could be construed as a corny one.

"What can I get for the happy couple?" a barman interrupted their conversation to take their order. They both picked up on his slip of assuming they were a couple and went to correct him.

"We are not a couple." was the simultaneous response, prompting a chuckle from the barman.

"It's okay, I won't tell anybody..." he said under his breath, offering a wink to each of them.

"Honestly, we're... It doesn't matter." Randy said, shaking his head. "I'll have another beer please... Molly?"

"Hmm, let me see..." she deliberated; she didn't drink all that often, but as her mood had improved somewhat over the last few minutes, she felt like rocking the boat out. "I'll have a glass of white wine please."

"You heard the lady." Randy said and in no time at all, two drinks stood on top of the counter for them. Randy left enough money to cover the cost, and some, then handed Molly her glass. "After you madame." he said in a fake French accent, which induced yet another giggle from Molly. She was seeing a totally different side to Randy's personality; and she liked it a lot.

* * *

Trish nudged Matt, and signaled towards the door of the bar. She whispered into his ear. "Don't you think we should leave these two lovebirds to it?" Matt looked at Randy and Molly, who were totally engrossed in a conversation with each other. He acknowledged Trish's idea, and finished off the last of his soft drink.

"I'll give you a ride back to the hotel if you like." he said.

"I'd appreciate that." she accepted. "I'm like, seriously stunned by those two. It's a good kind of stunned... I think."

"Definitely. You should have seen Randy's face earlier when he..." Matt had to talk himself out of carrying on, as he nearly let the details of the bet slip. "...when he was on the ground, after Molly kicked his butt."

"I can imagine! Anyway, let's get out of here..." Trish suggested, and then turned her attention to her friend. "Molly, Matt's taking me back to the hotel... are you going to be okay?" Molly gave Trish a fleeting look, and nodded to signify that she'd be fine.

"I'll catch up with you tomorrow Randy, take it easy man." Matt said to his buddy. Randy, facing in the opposite direction, raised his hand and continued his eye lock with Molly. He led Trish away from their table and they left their pals to it. 'Mission accomplished' was Matt's analysis.


	4. The Feelings

**Chapter 4: The Feelings**

After picking up on the difference between Molly's look at the arena compared to the public domain earlier, he also noticed how she was much more laid back too. He felt totally comfortable talking about himself with her; most people switched off when Randy started doing that, but Molly did the exact opposite, she listened attentively.

"So they kicked me out basically. Not before I was punished severely for my actions though... I guess I got what I deserved." he said, referring to his time as a marine and how he walked away from it.

"We all make mistakes Randy." Molly sympathized.

"I can't believe for one second, that you have ever made a mistake like that!"

"Trust me Randy... I make mistakes every single day. But by confiding in God, I realize that as long as I learn from them, then no harm will ever be done."

"Nice philosophy. You are awfully sensible aren't you?" he kidded.

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing..."

"Not at all. I just can't help but feel that we are like the total opposite of each other... Me the arrogant jack the lad, and you the humble cutie pie."

Randy had a unique way of making Molly blush, with his simple spin on words. "Well... you certainly are trying hard to get into my good books, aren't you?" she said.

"Huh? You mean I'm not already... Damn it."

"I'll give you credit for trying." she informed him. "I can't fathom why you are."

"Why I'm what?" he asked.

"Trying to get into my good books."

As he had done earlier in the day, he couldn't hold back from saying what was going through his mind. "Somebody must have taken away meanie Molly, and replaced her with magical Molly for the sake of this evening. I mean it girl, I'm liking this version of you much more than the one I've seen at work."

"Stop it! All this praise..." she said, lightheartedly putting her hand against his forehead to check his temperature. "I'm going to call a doctor to come and check on you."

Randy took the hand that rested against his forehead and lowered it down to the table, squeezing gently. He put his other hand across his heart and made a vow. "Randy Keith Orton promises that he is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth... Molly, it truly has been a pleasure spending time in your company so far this evening." He grazed another kiss across her knuckles, and then relinquished his grip.

"Aww..." she responded, as a tear formed in her eye. "I never thought I'd say this... but I guess I am enjoying your company too."

"No... You're going to have to repeat that, I forgot to turn the tape recorder on!"

Molly sighed, as Randy stood up from the table to order a couple more drinks. Molly handed him her glass and watched him walk up to the bar. She felt a feeling she had not experienced for a couple of years; she felt at ease with a member of the opposite sex. Randy had a boyish charm that she found irresistible. His good natured sense of humor warmed her heart. He was the archetypal hunk. And he showed that he could be a gentleman too, when he put his mind to it. Everything a girl could wish for, and then some.

As Randy awaited service, he fell into a trance thinking about Molly. He couldn't even remember why he had suggested Trish's name earlier in the day, when the guys were talking about the bet... The bet. He'd forgotten about that. It didn't matter though, because he could sense genuine feelings for Molly; she was his type of girl. Genuine... sweet... sensitive... smart. Not to mention pretty. And she was a brunette too, that was a big plus. Trish was a phony, when compared to somebody as real as Molly Holly.

"Hey kid... Anyone home?" he was snapped out of his reverie by the same barman who had commented on the two of them earlier. "I'm telling you, I haven't seen a happier couple in this joint for years."

"Listen man... Honestly, we are not a couple." Randy replied.

"Right. Well, you sure as hell should be... Same again?"

Randy nodded, and contemplated what the guy had advocated. 'Me and Molly... together.' he contemplated; it was a nice thought. 'Too bad she won't see it the same way.'

Molly heard a beep, which suggested that a message had come in on her cell phone. She hurriedly dug it out of her handbag and read it. It was from Trish: 'Good luck with Randy babe, can't wait to hear all about it later! T x.' Molly smiled at the sentiment of her best friend; they had become really close over the past couple of months, after years of hating each other. Perhaps it was that very same open mindedness that was affecting her decisions regarding Randy. A few months previously, there would have been no way that she would have let her guard down to him. She was grateful for that change in her mentality.

* * *

Molly giggled like a school girl, as she tip toed across the landing with Randy towards her hotel room. "Shhhh..." He put his finger to his lip, begging her to calm down as it was way past midnight. Molly was feeling decidedly light headed as a result of one too many glasses of wine. She gripped onto Randy's arm and held on for dear life. "Which number did you say it was?" Randy whispered.

"319... I think." Molly replied, trying to make sure she remembered her room number correctly. She fumbled around in her bag to find her key, and upon locating it, she squinted and checked the number. "Yeah, 319." As she spoke, the key slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor.

Randy stopped and crouched down to retrieve it for her. He picked the key up and handed it to her, noting how distant she seemed. "Your key Molly..."

"Wha... Oh! Did I drop it? Silly me... You are my hero Randy!" she blurted, no doubt waking people in the adjoining rooms. Randy shook his head and continued to guide Molly along the corridor, finally reaching her room which was right at the end.

"Here we are then." he said.

"You are a gentleman Mr. Orton." She thanked him, and embraced him for his kind gesture. Randy reciprocated the action, hugging her petite body against his stomach. He was prepared to say goodnight, when Molly's head snapped up and she gazed dreamily into his eyes. He stared back, statue like, not sure of what was transpiring. Before he could do anything, she draped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to be level with hers. She staggered him by engaging in a passionate kiss, full of emotion and electricity. 'What the?' he thought, as Molly thrilled him with her behavior.

The longer she continued the fervent moment, the more he found himself captivated by it. Her kissing ability blew him away; something he would have never expected her to be proficient at, given her notoriety in the locker room. They intensified the kiss, delving deeper into each others mouths, and exploring the sensual delights contained within. It was a moment neither wanted to end...

Molly was first to snap, as she broke away and stood back shakily. 'I can't believe it... I just kissed Randy Orton...' she thought to herself. She stared with puppy eyes at the wonderful man she had just shared a wonderful moment with. "Thank you Randy... That was amazing."

"No... Thank you." Randy countered, still buzzing about what had just occurred. "It's been an honor Molly."

She couldn't hold back, as tears began to drip from her eyes. She was overcome with happiness and the only thing she could do was let her emotion out. Randy smiled and pulled her in for one last lingering hug, then grudgingly let her go; though he knew he would only be letting her go temporarily, because in his mind he had found his true love on that night. "Good night sweet heart..." he said warmly.

"You too..." Molly replied, still sobbing blissful tears. She managed to tear herself away from him, and struggled to get her key in the door. Eventually it slid in and she turned it, in order to enter her room. She allowed herself one last glance back at her prince; the beaming grin on his face melted her already mushy heart further. She knew that what she had experienced that night, was something that would live with her for the rest of her life.


	5. The Morning After

**Chapter 5: The Morning After**

"Come on Matt! Rise and shine!" Randy shouted, at the door to Matt's hotel room. He had been up since the crack of dawn, and was keen to go for an early morning jog. He felt hyper inside after what had gone on the night before, so much so that he needed to release some of that energy.

Matt wearily dragged himself to the door, opening it just enough to see who had woken him so early in the morning. "Randy? What time do you call this?" he said, yawning. He opened the door and allowed his best friend to enter the room.

"Time to go out and make the most of this beautiful morning!" he said cheerfully, allowing himself to open the curtains in Matt's room. Matt covered his eyes, as the sun shone brightly through the window.

"Randy..." he groaned, being blinded by the light. 'Somebody got out of the right side of the bed this morning.'

"So... Did anything happen with you and... you know... Trish?" Randy asked, with a big smile on his face.

"Trish? No, I just walked her back to her room and said good night. Came back here and... Wait a minute, why am I answering your question? Never mind me! What about you and Molly?!"

The question Randy had hoped to hear. He couldn't wait to tell somebody about what happened with Molly. "I'm telling you Matt... that girl is one of a kind!"

"So..." Matt made some hand gestures, trying to weigh up exactly what they had gotten up to. "Anything happen?"

"You could say that." Randy replied, with a big grin on his face and nodding in satisfaction. Matt's eyes lit up at the premise of them getting on with each other.

"Well? Spill the beans!"

"She couldn't resist my charms man... She left her mark on me, lets just say that much."

"Wow! So you won the bet already?" Matt uttered.

Randy frowned at the mention of the stupid bet... 'Mind you, it's because of that stupid bet that me and Molly interacted in the first place...' he pondered.

"Well no... but we shared a moment between each other." he answered.

"You kissed?" Matt interpreted his reply, to which Randy nodded. "Man, you made out with Molly Holly... I'm astounded."

"You and me both... She's a dark horse, I tell you."

"How did she let you get away with that?"

"Let me get away it? Matt... _She_ kissed _me_!" Randy replied, emphasizing that it was Molly that made the first move.

Matt began to laugh uncontrollably, so much so that he fell onto his bed and rolled around hysterically. 'Molly threw herself at him... Good one Randy!'

"What's so funny?" Randy asked, in reaction to Matt's conduct. "I mean... I was prepared to just say good night, but she insisted on kissing me!"

"That is one of the funniest things I have ever heard mate!" Matt responded, not believing a word of what Randy was saying. "Next you will be telling me that you love her?!"

Randy went all sheepish and didn't need to answer the question for Matt to realize that maybe his friend was telling the truth. "Oh my... You do love her?"

"Well... um... maybe." Randy said, sticking his chest out proudly. He wasn't going to be made to feel ashamed for having feelings for her. "She's a really nice person, and we clicked. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Not at all mate... not at all. I'm just a bit shocked."

"Stuff the bet... I'm not interested in that. I am interested in her though... I just hope that she will wake up this morning and feel the same way about me." Randy said, praying in his heart that Molly would indeed wake up and not regret the night before.

* * *

"So? What happened already?!" Trish asked impatiently. She had been waiting all morning to hear the scoop on what happened the night before between Randy and Molly. Molly's cheeks flushed a bright shade of red as Trish probed her for answers.

They were in a small diner, getting something to eat before their afternoon workout together. They liked to do a five mile jog, head straight for the gym to do some weights, before finishing off with a five mile ride on the exercise cycles. To most that would have been a punishing schedule, but to the two divas it was a normal routine. Some days they might jog further, if the weather was nice. It was a beautiful morning, so there was the prospect of that happening.

Molly took a bite out of her slice of toast, and washed it down with some freshly squeezed orange juice. Once she had cleared her mouth, she got round to answering Trish's demands. "Last night you mean?"

"Well, of course!"

"Randy and I had a lovely conversation, had a few more drinks, he walked me up to my hotel room and we said good night to each other." Molly replied, leaving out the juiciest details.

"Is that all?" Trish inquired, hoping to uncover some sensational gossip. She'd known Molly just about long enough to realize she was probably wasting her time; that never stopped her.

"We kissed." Molly replied, in a matter of fact manner.

"Aww, come on..." Trish started, expecting Molly to rebuff her question; then what she'd heard hit home. "You kissed?!" Trish's expression twisted as she envisaged the idea of Molly kissing Randy.

"Yeah."

"You kissed Randy Orton. Oh my lord." Trish replied, flabbergasted by Molly's admission. She was not only astonished by it, but seriously jealous too. Jealous to the point of being angered about it, especially considering how unflustered Molly was. When Trish had sent the message to Molly's cell phone after leaving the bar, she had hoped things would go well; but after discovering that they had kissed, it was as if a switch had gone off in her head and caused her to see things totally differently. It hurt her so much...

"We had a good night. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time." Molly justified her actions.

"Don't tell me you are regretting it?"

"Perhaps..." Molly replied forlornly. In her heart she felt like she had a valid reason for kissing Randy, at the time... but was concerned that maybe the wine she had been drinking could have clouded her judgment somewhat. 'Randy probably won't look at me twice, when he sees me later today...'

"I cannot believe you sometimes Molly..." Trish was annoyed by Molly's negativity, as well as the way she seemed to be taking it all for granted.

"I don't want to get my hopes up. I mean, Randy could have any girl he wanted... why me?"

'Exactly.' Trish thought; she felt it should have been her that he had eyes for. "Who knows. I'd be careful with him, with his reputation and everything."

Molly paused as she went to take another bite from her toast. She put it back down onto her plate, then looked up at Trish. She picked up on how downbeat Trish looked, she had expected her to be much more enthused about what she had told her, than she was. As far as Randy's reputation was concerned, she knew that he had a shady past; he'd admitted as much during their conversation at the bar... But she wanted to know exactly what Trish was driving at in bringing it up. "What do you mean, his reputation?"

"I've heard that he forces himself on girls." Trish said, making up a rumor that did not exist.

"He didn't force himself on me."

"Sure he did, if he kissed you!"

"I kissed him." Molly pointed out.

"Yeah, okay Molly... We all know you are not like that." Trish came back, finding it amusing that Molly would even suggest she instigated the kiss. She knew that Molly was not the sort of person to lie about something of that magnitude though.

"I'm telling the truth." Molly avowed. "I'm going to speak to him later, then I'll have a better idea of whether it was a mistake or not."

"Okay. Be careful... I don't want to see you get hurt." Trish said, as dark thoughts circled menacingly around her mind. 'Molly and Randy together... over my dead body.'


	6. The Workout

**Chapter 6: The Workout**

"You sure you don't want to join me for a session on the weights?" Randy asked Matt, as he pulled his kit bag out of the trunk of his rental car.

"Not today man, I have a ton of other stuff to do. Thanks for the ride though." Matt replied.

"No probs. I'll catch up with you later no doubt."

Randy was at his wits end, he desperately wanted to see Molly but had no way of contacting her; they hadn't exchanged cell phone numbers and there was no reply when he had tried her hotel room earlier in the morning. As he changed into his workout gear, and stepped into the weights room at the local gym, he got a pleasant surprise.

There she was, in her sweat pants and a training top, working with a set of dumbbells. Molly was all on her lonesome by the looks of it, so he went over towards her, making sure she didn't see him. Once he was behind her, he put his hands over her eyes.

"Guess who?"

Startled, she nearly dropped the weights to the ground. "Randy?" Once he uncovered her eyes, she put the weights down carefully and turned to face him. The first thing that struck her attention was seeing his bare chest, he only had a pair of tracksuit bottoms on. She'd obviously seen him in the ring with nothing more than a pair of trunks and his boots on, but had never been up close and personal with him to admire him in all his glory.

"How is my princess on this fine day?" he asked amiably.

'Wow, I'm his princess?' Molly thought, feeling good about being referred to in that way. "I guess I'm doing good. How about you?"

"Never better Moll... never better." he responded. "You training alone?"

"Yeah, Trish left me in the lurch after our run this morning. Apparently she had forgotten that she had some errands to run, which was kind of convenient." she filled him in.

"It sounds it. Matt told me he had stuff to do too... Maybe they are setting us up!"

Molly considered what Randy had said, then thought back to her conversation with Trish in the diner. 'Hmm, not likely... Trish sure wasn't keen on the idea this morning...' She kept her musing to herself, preferring to chuckle and go along with it.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Randy asked.

"Of course not." Molly replied. She picked up the weights she had been using, and Randy picked up a set of his own; they proceeded to do their repetitions and chatted as they were doing so.

"I had a great time last night Moll." he told her, getting onto the issue that he had been itching to talk about all morning.

"Yeah, it was fun." she responded, with some hesitancy in her voice.

"You don't sound too sure about that?"

She paused, trying to think of a way round of conveying her true feelings. Despite how good she had felt when he had called her his princess, something just didn't feel right. She loved the idea of being close to somebody like Randy, but simply lacked the self confidence to ever believe it could work out.

"It's okay Moll, you can tell me." he informed her, glancing across and giving her a wink. She picked up on it, and decided he was right. She could tell him.

"Last night... it was too good to be true. I... I guess I'm having a hard time believing it's real." she poured her heart out.

"I understand."

"You do?"

"Of course... I mean, guys like me don't come along every day, do they?" he said in a self assured tone.

Molly sighed at his arrogance; even though he sort of had a point. "No they don't. It's not every day you meet an ego-maniac like you."

"Hey!" he shouted out.

"Are you denying it Randy?" she quizzed him. Randy felt awkward; she was right. 'Isn't she always right...'

"I thought as much." she carried on, as he failed to answer her question. The two finished off their sets and moved on to do the bench press. Randy offered to stand with Molly, in case she needed some assistance, which she sensibly accepted. Randy added some extra weight to each end, which prompted Molly to frown at him.

"What's that look for?" he inquired.

"Are you kidding me? I could press that in my sleep..." she retorted heatedly.

"You want more weight?" he came back, a little surprised by her statement. He had a vague idea that the girl was strong, but the amount of weight already on the bar was far more than he had ever seen any other woman attempt to press.

"I'll have you know that I am a record holder in my home state for the bench press. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to know that." she pointed out.

Randy chewed over what she was saying, as he added more weight to the bar. He could see remnants of how she was at the arena the day before; when she had introduced her knee to his golden globes. "I must admit... I didn't know that."

"That's enough." she said, signaling for Randy to stop adding weight. He lowered the bar for her, which she proceeded to press almost effortlessly. Randy just watched, as she made relatively light work of the bar he'd prepared for her. It had always been a dream of his to meet a sweet, good looking girl... who was strong and shared the same interest as him; wrestling. It was clear that he had some work to do to convince her that he was Mr. Right... but in his mind it was work that was well worth doing.

* * *

Randy slumped against the display on his exercise cycle, as he completed the last of the five miles Molly had challenged him to do. He was panting heavily and his muscles ached terribly; he wasn't used to cardio training like that.

"Well, well... Randy Orton isn't as perfect as he thinks he is." Molly said, as she neared the end of her own five mile cycle.

"What?" he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"Look at you! Have you ever done a five mile ride before?" she teased.

"I'm fine... you've just caught me on a bad day." he lied, despite knowing that his weak excuses wouldn't wash with Molly. She was too astute for that.

"You are a piece of work..." Molly said, as she finished her ride, and with it her workout for the day. "If I let you hang around me long enough... maybe we can get you into shape."

"Is that an offer?" he came back.

"Maybe... how are you fixed tonight?" she put to him, in a spur of the moment fashion.

"Wait a minute... are you asking me out?" he replied, confused by her flip-flopping attitude. One minute she blew hot, the next she would blow cold; it was hard to keep up with.

"There's a football game in town... and seeing as Trish cannot stand football, I need somebody to go with. That's if you don't have anything better to do?"

"Football hey? You're full of surprises Ms. Holly... I think I can make room in my diary, for you." he answered cheerily.

"Okay. Hang on a second." she said, and walked off to find something to write with. She returned with a piece of paper and scribbled her cell phone number on it. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"I wouldn't dream of changing my mind. I _will _be there." he assured her. "What time is the game? I mean, do you want me to pick you up?"

"It kicks off at eight, so if you could pick me up from the hotel around half six, that would be great."

"Half six? I thought you said the game was in town?"

"It is..." She sighed as she spoke. "I like to soak up the atmosphere before the game... It's been a while since I've gone to one. What with us always being on the road and all that..."

"And partying with guys like me huh?" he butted in.

Molly shook her head, and left him to stroke his ego alone. "I'll see you later Randy." She hoped she wouldn't regret going against Trish's advice by giving him a chance to prove himself. Only time would tell if she was making the right decision or not...


	7. The Interrogation

**Chapter 7: The Interrogation**

"Hey Randall! Matt's been telling us about you and Dolly!" Chris Jericho shouted across the hotel foyer to Randy. Chris had been stood chatting with Christian, when he noticed Randy enter the building. Randy had only just left the gym and was looking forward to a relaxing afternoon in his hotel room, before preparing for his evening out with Molly. It appeared that those plans were to be put on hold momentarily, as his friends had some interrogating to do.

"Molly you mean." he corrected Chris.

"Yeah, yeah... So what's the score junior? After yesterday's little paddy, we thought you were off to hang yourself!" Chris said.

"The man's right Randy." Christian piped up. "Matt was kidding, right?"

"What did he say to you?" Randy asked nervously.

"Something about you and Molly getting on like a house on fire last night." Christian answered, looking over towards Chris; they both showed some consternation about the likelihood of it being true.

"You could say that." Randy replied uncomfortably. He was not ashamed of his blossoming relationship with Molly, the whole concept of it just made him feel a little weird.

"What! No way!" Chris imitated Randy's reaction, when he had announced that Molly would be involved in their bet. Randy frowned, as his two so-called friends laughed about it. To Chris, his plan was working perfectly; he had been looking forward to seeing how the guy who selected Molly would react. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine it would make Randy go all mushy and soft about it.

"Leave it out guys. If you must know... I'm taking her to the football game later." he announced.

"Football? You don't even like football do you?" Christian asked, as he'd never known Randy to show any interest in grid iron in the past.

"What does that matter? Maybe I want to spend some time with her." Randy responded crabbily.

"Aww... He loves her." Chris mocked in a really soppy voice.

"Get lost Chris." Randy said, brushing his way past the two of them. He wasn't going to stand around being insulted about Molly.

"He must really want to win this bet man, you'd have to be to get with Molly..." he overheard Christian saying as he walked away. That was enough to make him snap and lose his cool.

"Listen up guys! I couldn't care less about this stupid bet, and I couldn't care less what you think about me spending time with Molly. I'm not going waste my time listening to your crap any longer, so if it's okay with the two of you, I'm going to go to my room and watch a movie... then later I am going to go out and enjoy the football game with Molly. Understood?"

Chris looked at Christian, then turned and addressed Randy. "Gotcha kid! We're only playing..." Randy didn't stay to respond to that, as he entered the lift in the lobby area to go to the floor his room was on.

"Such a shame, little does he realize that none other than Captain Charisma is going to seal the deal with Gail and his endeavors with Molly will be for naught." Christian boasted, once Randy was out of earshot.

"Don't count out Y2J sonny boy... I've got Queen V wrapped around my little finger already! It's only a matter of time baby!" Chris retaliated.

"No! I'm going to win!"

"Forget about it ass clown!"

The two of them continued to bicker away as they left the building; the bet had consumed their attentions.

* * *

"So Moll... did you find anybody to go with you to your football game?" Trish asked, as Molly invited her into her hotel room. She was dreading telling Trish of her plans with Randy, after the talk they'd had earlier that morning.

"Yeah..." she answered, struggling to hide her uneasiness.

"You asked Randy didn't you?" Trish immediately assumed; there was no way for Molly could lie about it, she could only nod meekly to indicate that she had indeed asked him. "I don't believe you Molly... did you listen to a word I said to you earlier?"

"Cut me some slack Trish... it sort of... happened." Molly said, fretfully.

"Just like your _kiss_ sort of happened?" Trish mentioned.

Molly didn't bite on the bait being offered and continued to offer her side of the story. "I bumped into him at the gym... we worked out together and it just felt like a good idea."

"Well... don't worry about me!" Trish responded in a frenzy, flapping her arms around furiously.

"I did invite you first Trish." Molly highlighted. Trish had no come back to that, because it was the truth; Molly had been bugging her about the game for weeks, and Trish had insisted she wasn't interested in going. "Why the sudden change in attitude about Randy?" Molly sounded out. She was most confused by how Trish had gone cold on the idea of Randy and her being close; after the good luck message she had sent the night before.

"I told you before. He... is... bad... news." Trish responded resentfully.

Molly hadn't picked up on it earlier, but it suddenly became apparent. 'Trish is jealous.' she presumed. "You were pretty keen on him back at the arena last night..."

"What? No I wasn't!" Trish refuted Molly's claims, persisting with her hysterical behavior. "And even if I was... I have no doubt now that he is most definitely the worst possible choice of boyfriend that you... or anybody else could have!"

Molly shook her head solemnly. The woman stood before her was the Trish she had known, and despised in the past. The possessive bitch, who always had to be the centre of attention. She had been concerned about when that ugly monster would rear it's head again; it looked as if young master Orton was the catalyst for it to happen. As horrid as it was to see the old side of Trish, Molly couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her. 'I wish there were two Randy's, one for each of us...' she thought unselfishly.

"Mark my words Moll, he will break your heart." Trish continued, in a much calmer tone. She walked over to Molly and put a hand on her shoulder. "I want you to be happy, honestly... But if you let Randy lead you along, he _will_ make a fool of you."

Molly was in two minds about how sincere Trish was when she said that. She had questioned the legitimacy of Randy's intentions herself, so what Trish was saying was nothing new; it may even have confirmed notions that had run through her own mind. She just desperately wanted Trish to give her and Randy the same chance she was prepared to give him.

"Trish... you can deny it all you like, but I know you like Randy. Believe me, I don't want to steal him from you, or anything like that... Oh, this isn't helping." Molly said, realizing that she was almost rubbing it in that Randy was choosing her over her Canadian friend. "Okay, I've taken on board what you have said, and I am going to be careful... Please, I'm begging you, just support me on this one. I deserve a break don't I?"

Trish looked at her friend, and begrudgingly embraced Molly in a friendly hug. "Of course you do Moll... And I guess... I guess you have my full support."

Molly broke away and shot Trish a surprised glance. "Really?"

"Really." Trish said unenthusiastically, yet trying to sound semi-convincing.

"Oh, thank heavens!" Molly cried happily and hugged Trish once more. Having Trish's support meant the world to her, and she was determined to prove that Randy would be the right man for her. What she couldn't see was the snarling expression on Trish's face out of her view, as Trish pretended to hug her...


	8. The Football Game

**Chapter 8: The Football Game**

Under the presumption that she had Trish's approval to continue relations with Randy uninhibited, Molly had spent most of the afternoon looking forward to the football game. She was already excited about the prospect of seeing her local team in action, it was truly a bonus that they happened to be playing in the part of the world that her line of work had taken her. She could only recall it happening once or twice during her wrestling career.

She wore her replica Minnesota jersey with pride, it felt good to wear something that reminded her of home. It was a relief to be able to dress down too; since the management had demanded that all workers in the WWE had to dress in smart casual business wear on the job, in order to look professional. Molly hated that, she much preferred to wear baggy clothing whenever possible, for the simple fact that it was far more comfortable. When she saw Randy emerge from his rental car, she realized that the dress code obviously didn't affect him at all.

"Randy… you look great…" she stated hesitantly, when she saw him dressed up in yet another smart suit. He must have had a wardrobe full of them. "You do remember that I said we were going to a football game?" She chuckled heartily as Randy noticed how dressed down she was, and knew he had cocked up.

"I'm going to look stupid aren't I?" he admitted, knowing full well what the gist of her answer would be.

"Let's just say, you would fit in perfectly at the theatre… At the football stadium, maybe not." she replied, her voice sloping off as she tried valiantly to refrain from putting him off. "You can always go back to your room and change if you want?"

"I'll be fine." he said with assurance. It was shaping up to be a cold night however, which meant he was most likely going to regret not having a thick jumper and a pair of jeans on. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind as he had been getting ready earlier; thoughts of Molly had totally preoccupied his thinking.

As Randy led Molly to his car, he passed a comment off about her choice of attire. "You know something Molly, that look really suits you."

"You think?" she asked, surprised by his acknowledgment.

"Definitely." he answered surely and decisively, holding the passenger side door open for her to climb in. At that time, they were both immensely looking forward to the evening ahead…

* * *

Randy's enthusiasm had lasted until around kick-off time; he was regretting not going back to his room and changing into more appropriate clothing for the occasion. A biting cold wind was sweeping around the immense stadium they were seated in, and his suit wasn't offering much protection against it. Meantime, Molly was happily munching away on popcorn and sipping from her soft drink; she was really into the match in progress and hadn't noticed how much Randy was suffering.

"Come on… yes… yes… yes!!!" she screamed euphorically, as Minnesota completed a drive successfully for another touchdown. "Did you see that Randy?"

Randy didn't hear her question, such was the state he was in. He was just focusing on surviving until the end of the match.

"Randy?" Molly said again, maintaining her focus on the celebrations of the Minnesota players. "Randy?" Eventually she figured something was up and turned to face him. "I said did you…" she began, until she saw the poor guy trembling thanks to conditions which resembled those usually found in winter.

"Huh?" That was the only speech he could manage, as his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"Randy Orton… I told you to go back and change, but oh no…" she said harshly, noting that her hard line approach was not having any impression on him at all. She sat down on her seat and shuffled across to get as close as she could to him. Once she was right alongside, she leant over, put her arm around his shoulder, and hugged him; she was trying to transfer as much of her body heat over to him as she could. It has no effect, as he didn't respond to her gesture at all. 'Hmm, I better come up with a better plan, otherwise Randy is going to be an icicle by the end of this game…' she concluded.

"Wait here for a minute Randy." she said, not that he could do anything else anyway. She tiptoed past other patrons in the seats next to theirs and made her way to one of the exits. She was hoping to find a member of staff who could donate her some warm clothing that would fit Randy.

She hurried around the walkways situated beneath the seating of the stadium, searching desperately for anybody who could help. Just when she thought she was fighting a losing battle, her attention was grabbed by a young janitor sweeping the floor. He was quite a tall guy, and was wearing a scruffy pair of green pants, a thick black coat and a baseball cap.

"Excuse me Miss…" he said timidly. He looked absolutely petrified.

"Hello." Molly replied with a smile on her face. She sensed he was nervous, so she went right over to him and tried to set him at ease. "Can I help you?" she said gently.

"You look familiar…" he pointed out awkwardly, unnerved by the close proximity of the brunette; not to mention her piercing eye contact.

Molly eyes scanned from side to side, as she tried to figure out where he was coming from. 'I've never seen this young man before… Wait a minute… Perhaps he's seen me on TV!'

"Are you a wrestling fan by any chance?" Molly inquired, to which the young man's eyes lit up. A big grin appeared on his face, as Molly's question confirmed that he did recognize her.

"Molly Holly?" he asked.

"That's me!" she responded merrily. She held out her hand, offering to shake his. He gratefully accepted, and shook her hand vigorously. Molly's mind was working overtime, as the star struck kid let go of her hand. She couldn't help but notice that he was about the same height as Randy, and the jacket he wore looked like it offered plentiful warmth. 'It's worth a try…'

"You might be able to help me actually." she said, hopefulness ingrained in her voice.

"Anything Miss Holly… anything!" he replied, eager to assist.

"You see, I brought a friend of mine along to the game… Trouble is, he forgot to bring a coat and seeing as it is pretty cold out there tonight… Do you think I could possibly borrow yours?" she asked. She felt terrible about making such a cheeky request, but it was all she could think of in a time of desperation.

Without hesitation, the janitor whipped the coat off his back and handed it to her. "There you go Miss!" He only had a thin green t-shirt on underneath, but didn't seem too perturbed about it.

Molly was thrilled by his kind and thoughtful act. "You are a star, you have no idea how much this means to me… and my friend in need."

"No problem." he said humbly, feeling coy about the praise she had showered on him. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure, fire away." Molly agreed.

"Is your friend another wrestler?"

She beamed a big smile, at the thought of who was with her. "Yes he is… have you heard of Randy Orton?"

The kid looked like he died and gone to heaven, he was gob smacked by her reply. "No way… you are here with the Legend Killer?!" he asked feverishly.

Molly nodded, amused by his frenetic response. It was obvious that she had just made somebody's day.

"You've gotta be kidding me… Randy Orton is at this ball game?"

"That's right." she replied. An idea popped into her head. "I tell you what, if you come back here at the end of the game and wait in this exact spot, I'll get Randy to come and meet you… and we can return your coat to you. How does that sound?"

"Yes please!" he replied in the affirmative.

Molly tucked the coat under her arm, and shook his hand one more time. "Thanks, we owe you one…" she started, pausing when she became conscious of the fact she didn't know the young mans name.

"Jacob!" he enlightened her.

"Well Jacob… I guess Randy and I will see you at the end of the game. Thank you once again…" Molly signed off, waving as she left to return to her seat. She was indebted to the considerate lad who had just potentially saved Randy from a nasty bout of pneumonia.


	9. The Search

**Chapter 9: The Search**

"Randy! Are you in there?!" Matt shouted, as he continued to rap his knuckles on the door to Randy's hotel room. He'd been stood there for a good minute and a half, without any sign of a response from within. He had a quick glance at his watch, and saw that it had just turned eleven o'clock; Randy hardly ever slept in, even after a heavy night on the tiles.

He took out his cell phone and tried to contact Randy from that. 'Maybe he went out first thing, it wouldn't be the first time he's gone AWOL.' There was no response. Whilst Matt wasn't overly worried, he had gotten into a routine of meeting up with Randy nearly every morning; usually to go for a light jog first thing. Randy had informed him about the football game he was attending with Molly, so he prayed that nothing had gone wrong during that.

He decided to make his way down to the restaurant in the hotel, to see if he could locate Molly and get to the bottom of Randy's 'disappearance'.

* * *

"So I wrapped him up in the coat that Jacob kindly borrowed to me, and tried to heat the poor guy up! You should have seen him Trish, he looked like he was ready to freeze to death!" Molly happily recalled the events of the night before, over a cappuccino with Trish in the hotel restaurant.

"You're too good to him Moll…" Trish said, not wanting to discuss the matter. Molly was in the process of filling her in on all the juicy details from the football game, and for once Trish was not the slightest bit interested about some gossip.

"That's what he said…" Molly responded, thinking fondly of her man. "Did you have a good night?"

"Me? Thought you'd never ask…" Trish replied, finally relieved that Randy was off the menu. "I stayed in last night and…"

"Molly!" Matt yelled in an exasperated voice, as he ran across the room. "Have you seen or heard from Randy this morning?"

Trish turned furiously to see Matt arrive at their table. 'Randy this… Randy that!' she thought.

"I haven't Matt, to be honest. We got back pretty late last night… maybe he overslept?" Molly answered.

"That's not like him…" Matt thought aloud.

"He did say he would call me, so it is rather strange. Perhaps I should go and check on him." Molly said.

"I've just tried his room, he wasn't answering… assuming he is even in there." Matt told her.

"Did you? I think I'll go and check all the same." Molly said; she quickly finished her cappuccino and collected all her belongings together. She left some money on the table to pay for her drink and turned to Trish. "Sorry T, I have to go check on Randy. I'll call you later… we need to arrange that shopping trip this weekend, don't we?"

"Yeah." Trish replied, as she leant her chin on her hand in a resigned pose. She was losing her friend to Randy; the very same guy she had wanted for herself.

Molly hurried away, leaving Matt alone with Trish. "Mind if I join you?" Matt asked, not being sure whether he would be welcome or not.

Trish was in a foul mood, and wanted to say no… but she subsided and went along with it. "Sure, why not." she said, with a hint of sarcasm coming through.

Matt had picked up on her crabby attitude and cautiously sought to uncover the reasoning for it. "Everything okay with you? You look a little…"

"Angry?" Trish shot back, not hiding her emotions.

Matt thought it might be a good idea to leave the stormy blonde to stew on her own, as he gingerly tried to creep away.

"Oh… so you're going to desert me too?" she said, sulking about the lack of attention she was receiving that morning.

Matt looked at her; she looked very downcast, and it seemed like she could use some company. He pulled up a chair and settled himself in. A waitress came over and took his order; he ordered a muffin and a cup of tea. "Do you want anything Trish?" he offered politely, to which she shook her head.

"Listen, you're gonna have to bear with me… Molly has been doing my head in, going on about Randy all morning." Trish let Matt know what was bugging her so much.

"They seem to be getting along well." Matt remarked.

Trish just stared at him for a second, refraining from going off on another of her rants. "Yes, they _seem_ to be… I just hope he is treating her well."

"I think he will look after her. He was very chirpy yesterday, that girl is a breath of fresh air to him you know." Matt replied.

"Molly's been real perky these last couple of days too. He better not let her down, because I know what she can be like when she is down in the dumps."

"Don't we all!" Matt chuckled to himself, before seeking to change the subject. "Hey, are you doing much this weekend?"

"I'm supposed to be hitting the shops with Moll at some point." Trish replied.

"Okay… I was going to arrange a night out ten pin bowling, me and a few of the lads from work… perhaps you and Molly could join us?"

"I dunno… I was hoping me and Moll could have a girly weekend in, you know?" she admitted. 'Anything, as long as it doesn't involve Randy…'

"Oh I see… Well if you change your mind, let me know." Matt said, effectively leaving an invite with her. "You have my number don't you?"

"Yes…" Trish replied, sighing inwardly. 'Can this day get any worse…'

* * *

Molly went through precisely the same rigmarole that Matt had done before her. She knocked repeatedly on Randy's door, as well as trying to reach him on his cell phone. She was just about to give up and walk away, when she heard the door creak behind her.

"Who is it…" Randy said, in a croaky voice. He squinted, as the bright illumination of the hallway hit his eyes. Molly twisted around quickly to see the sorry sight Randy was in; he looked terrible. There were bags under his eyes and he was sniveling repeatedly.

"Randy! You look awful!" Molly exclaimed, ushering him back into his hotel room. She closed the door behind them, and carefully navigated through the darkened room; the curtains had not been opened.

"Thanks." he responded dolefully. "It's great to see you too Molls." He lapsed into a fit of coughing, as he hauled his frame back into bed. Molly turned on one of the lamps at his bed side and helped to tuck him in.

"Looks like the cold got you in the end last night." she said.

"Yeah… had a pretty rough night." he just about managed to say, as he continued to cough hoarsely.

"Well, you just sit tight… Nurse Molly is going to have you right as rain in no time." she said chirpily. "I'm going to find the nearest pharmacy and get something for that cold of yours." She leant over and kissed him delicately on the forehead. "I'll take your key to let myself back in, okay?"

Randy nodded, and watched her pick up his hotel key from the sideboard it was sat on, before disappearing from view. As he heard the door open, then close, he contemplated how lucky he was to have met such a considerate lady. 'Molly is all the medicine I need…'


	10. The Bedside Vigil

**Chapter 10: The Bedside Vigil**

"There, a cap of this stuff should make you feel a whole lot better." Molly said, handing the medicine she had acquired over to the sickly looking Randy. He took the remedy, and spluttered as he swallowed it.

"Yuck! That was gross…" he moaned, hating the taste of it. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"And why would I want to do that to my precious honey bun?" Molly said, as she settled down into an armchair situated in Randy's room. "After all, who would I have to take me to the next football game then?"

"Don't look at me…" Randy didn't want to be reminded of the game; it had been worse than a trip to the dentist. The sort of trip which involved a complete rearrangement of teeth… The only redeeming feature had been getting to spend time with Molly, even if she spent most of the three hour duration on her feet cheering her team on.

"I know, I know… I'm sorry for dragging you along Randy." she apologized.

"It's okay… at least that kid was kind enough to let me use his coat, otherwise I would probably feel ten times worse right now."

"You're telling me… you really made his night after the game didn't you?"

Molly's question went straight over Randy's head, as he was too busy daydreaming about what had happened after they had left the event. Molly had taken it upon herself to drive them back to the hotel, because Randy was feeling tired. The lasting impression he had was of her singing along to a song that was playing on the radio.

_From glass alabaster she poured out the depths of her soul._

_O foot of Christ would you wait if her harlotries known?_

_Falls a tear to darken the dirt._

_Of humblest offerings to forgive the hurt._

_She is strong enough to stand in your love._

_I can hear her say… I am weak._

_I am poor, I'm broken Lord but I'm yours._

_Hold me now…_

_Hold me now…_

Her angelic voice had mesmerized him, it was a wonder to behold. As she reached the high notes during the chorus, he wanted nothing more than to 'hold her now'…

"Randy!" Molly shouted, trying desperately to bring him back into the present.

"Huh, did you say something?" he said, snapping out of his reverie.

"It doesn't matter… But something that does matter is the shows this weekend, there's no way you are going to be able to perform in your condition." she pointed out.

"I'll be fine…" he said bravely, it took a lot to keep him down. Since his long lay off a couple of years previously, he had kept himself relatively fit and healthy and attended each and every show. He was as dedicated to his profession as Molly was.

"I insist Mr. Orton. Nurse Molly will be looking after you this weekend." Molly said, continuing her shtick. Randy was too sick and too tired to fight back and tell her to stop treating him like an invalid. He just had to go along with her wishes. "I'm going to call Dean Malenko and tell him you won't be at the shows this weekend, he owes me a favor… I have this weekend off, so we are going to be on the first flight back to Minnesota. You can stay at mine and convalesce there, where I'll be on hand to cook your meals and attend to your every need. Okay?"

"Doesn't sound like I have much choice." he said, resigned to his fate. "You sure you won't mind me hanging around your place? I can be a nuisance you know…"

"Yes you can…" Molly said light heartedly, before setting his mind at ease. "Just kidding, it'll be my pleasure… it might even be fun." she said, almost seductively. Randy was beginning to notice her coming out of her shell; yet another long passionate kiss exchanged outside his door the night before, was further confirmation of that. She gave the impression of being at ease around him, which made Randy feel more relaxed and able to go with the flow.

"Where've you been all my life Molls?" he asked.

"I've been around… waiting for that ego of yours to recede, you know?" she replied, skirting with the truth. The one thing that had impressed Molly about the past few days with Randy, had been how he managed to shelve his arrogant nature and be a gentleman around her. She felt guilty about him having to endure the football game with her, yet felt so heartened that he would willfully stay with her despite hating it.

"Can I ask a favor?" Randy asked politely.

"Sure."

"I'm starving… any chance of ordering me some room service? The phone in here is broken…"

"You're kidding me? What would you like?"

"Just order me a bowl of soup, something that won't require much effort. And some water would be nice, I couldn't seem to find any around here earlier. My throat is dry as hell."

"Aww, you poor thing… consider it done." she said, dashing off to organize some service for him.

'Could get used to this…' he thought to himself, being thankful for Molly's assistance.

* * *

Molly decided to make her way down the stairs to the restaurant to order Randy's soup and to buy him a bottle of water; she was not one to take the lazy option of using an elevator. She was reveling in the role of playing nurse to Randy, she always felt at ease when she was helping others. The fact it was Randy Orton made it even sweeter.

"Hey Molly." Trish said, intercepting Molly on her way downstairs. "I was just going to come and check on you."

"Oh? Don't trust me hey Trish?" Molly said, humorously.

"Well…" Trish replied, sitting on the fence. "No, actually I was just going to finalize our plans for this weekend."

"Ah… About that…" Molly said delicately; the shopping trip had totally slipped her mind. "You see…"

Trish knew what was coming, and didn't like it one little bit. "Orton. He's really taken control of you hasn't he?"

Molly groaned, she felt awful about letting Trish down. "I'm really sorry T, but you should see him… he's so ill and I want to make sure…"

"Forget about it." Trish cut her off, as cold as ice. "I should have expected this…"

"Please don't be like that Trish, I'll make it up to you next weekend okay? I promise we can spend the whole weekend together… go shopping… then back to either yours or mine for a big slumber party, what do you say?"

"Fine." Trish said, moving past Molly without any fuss. "Have a nice weekend."

Molly watched on as Trish continued to ascend the staircase. 'I guess I deserve the cold shoulder treatment…' she conceded.

Once Trish was out of earshot of Molly, she decided it might be an idea to take up the invitation that she been given earlier in the day. "Matt… it's Trish… can I still come along this weekend?"

* * *

"There you go." Molly said, handing a bottle of water over to Randy, who was propped up in his bed watching television.

"You were gone a while." Randy called attention to the fact she'd been away longer than he had expected.

"Sorry… miss me?" Molly said in response.

"Of course…" Randy said, trying to sound perky as he continued to battle his chesty cough.

"I've just been sorting everything out for this weekend. I called Dean… he said he would sort out the time off for you. And I booked us tickets to fly back to Minneapolis tomorrow morning."

"How am I ever going to repay you for this?" he asked, scratching his head as to what he could possibly do to make it up to her.

"Hmm…" Molly tried to think of something; though really she didn't consider that she needed to be repaid for doing what she was doing. It clicked, there was something she wanted, and the time seemed right to ask. "Let me see… how about we say that I am your girlfriend, and you are my boyfriend?" she asked hopefully.

That came as a bolt out of the blue to Randy, as he had not really considered making their relationship that serious. He'd just been going along with things, and was generally having a good time doing it. Commitment was something that had scared him in the past, but with Molly it was different… 'I need to be with this girl…'

"Well…" He paused, keeping her on tenterhooks. "Yeah, I think I can handle that."

Molly's face lit up as he accepted her proposal. She went over to him and very nearly suffocated him with a big hug. "Oh Randy! I'm so happy!"

Randy shrugged, as Molly allowed him to breathe again. "Me too Molls… me too." He replicated the smile that was plastered across her face; the thought of being committed to somebody like Molly was one that didn't frighten him at all.

"So we're all set for the weekend then?" Randy asked, as Molly attempted to calm herself down from the high of officially becoming his girlfriend.

"Yes, everything is arranged… though I did sort of have a little problem when I went out just now."

"A problem?"

"Yeah… Trish reminded me that we were supposed to be going on a shopping trip this weekend. I totally forgot about it." she said, biting her lip. "I don't think she was best pleased."

"Oh well… She'll live." he retorted; Trish's state of mind was the last thing he was concerned about. He was thinking about the weekend ahead, and trying to imagine exactly what he would be getting up to with his new girlfriend. 'I think I might feel better by the end of this weekend… Heck, I think I feel better already…'

* * *

_T__he lyrics used in this chapter are from the song 'Hold Me Now' by Jennifer Knapp – one of Molly's favorite singer/songwriters._


	11. The Flight

**Chapter 11: The Flight**

"Are you feeling any better Randy?" Molly asked inquisitively, as they sat alongside one another on the flight back to Minnesota. They hadn't long taken off, and Molly was keen to check up on Randy's physical condition.

"I'll feel better when we touch down…" he replied, as he fought hard against a feeling of nausea rumbling inside of him. He wasn't a greatest traveler at the best of times, so his battle with sickness should have made him even more unhappy than usual. Once again however, the mere presence of Molly made it all worthwhile. He couldn't wait to check out her home town, and especially her abode.

"Is there anything I can do for you honey?" Molly said, in a sweet voice that Randy really enjoyed. Just hearing those lovable tones was nearly enough to soothe his throbbing head and aching bones.

"How about… you tell me a story." he responded.

Molly looked at him curiously, raising her eyebrows at his request. "A story?"

"Yeah, you know… anything to take my mind of things. Why don't you tell me about something that has happened to you."

"Okay…" Molly said, trying desperately to think of something interesting she could talk about. Her life had been pretty uneventful, in her own estimation. Downright boring, even…

"Molls?" Randy said, trying to stir his pensive girlfriend. "Don't worry, it doesn't have to be anything major… talk about wrestling if you want."

"Well… I can't really think of anything… wait a minute… I have this little romantic story, that I think you might enjoy." she said, finally being able to stir the creative juices in her mind. A quaint smirk appeared on her face, as she prepared to narrate her tale. "Let me start at the beginning…"

"That's usually a good idea." Randy butted in, inheriting a playful punch to his upper arm as a result. It caused him to grimace; because even though it was a good-natured blow, Molly's pretend punches were not soft ones.

"Now, as I was saying… let me start at the beginning. I'm going to tell you a story about two people, who were destined to find love with each other… yet they never realized it until it came up and bit them on the nose."

"Sounds interesting." Randy said with interest, as he settled himself into a comfortable position facing Molly. The two of them established firm eye contact, as Randy paid attention to every word Molly uttered.

"These two people met by chance, as they both worked for the same company. They went about their work without ever paying to each other, because both of them were dedicated individuals and they wanted to be amongst the best workers in the company."

"Work ethic hey?" Randy said, making an observation based on Molly's introductory sentence.

"That's right. They put everything into becoming the best worker… but there was something about these two individuals that kept them from achieving their dream." Molly carried on.

"What was that?" Randy asked.

"Nobody ever knew for sure. The boss of the company held them back for one reason or another… sure they both had good months, which the boss thanked them for, but other months went by with no praise what so ever. They were even punished from time to time, for the slightest indiscretion."

"Wow. Their boss sounds like a right…" Randy stopped shy of using the expletive that sat on the tip of his tongue. "He sounds like a nasty piece of work."

"He could be. But they had jobs, and that put food on the table. And they still loved their jobs despite all the bad stuff they had to put up with. Amazingly these two people worked in the same company for… let me see…" Molly pondered, trying to recall the length of time involved. She tapped a finger on her lips, before coming up with an answer. "I'd say about it must have been over two years. And in those two years, they never spoke to each other once."

"Right… so where is this story heading?" Randy quizzed Molly.

"It all changed one night. She had just finished her shift for the night and was on the phone to a friend, when he noticed her. He didn't exactly say hello… but they spoke and the ice was broken. Neither of them expected anything more to come of it, especially after their inauspicious first conversation."

"How did things change then?" Randy continued to probe Molly for answers, not having a clue where she was headed with her story.

"A couple of friends invited them out and they were… mildly surprised with each other." Molly said, trying to resist the inclination to smirk; she couldn't believe Randy hadn't cottoned on to who the story was about.

"Okay… More!" he cried impatiently, still missing the point completely. Molly could do nothing, except roll her eyes at the density of her boyfriend.

"They chatted and got to know each other better, and everything clicked. That night, each of them found their true love. Things progressed and they went from being virtual strangers to a couple in the space of a few days… it was a wild ride."

"Lucky people." Randy said, as he felt touched by the tale Molly had just narrated. "So who are these two people then?"

Molly shook her head; after all of that, he hadn't figured out who Molly was referring to. 'I'm glad he has a pretty face, because there doesn't appear to be a whole load else going on up there in that head of his!' she thought to herself, as Randy waited for an answer. "Oh, never mind… it doesn't matter…"


	12. The Cabin, Part One

**Chapter 12: The Cabin, Part One**

Randy awoke from his slumber, thanks to somebody persistently nudging him on the shoulder. He wearily opened his eyes and tried to stretch, only to be restricted by the confines of the vehicle he was sat in. For a split second he had no idea where he was, but a reassuring voice soon assisted him in acclimatizing.

"Randy… we are here, home sweet home." Molly said, sounding positively bubbly about the prospect of being back in Forest Lake. She had grown up in the area and spent most of her life living there, so it was a nice moment for her. Practically all of her family had relocated since she had became a professional wrestler, but after a failed experiment living in Florida, she was content to be back where her roots were.

Randy was greeted by a gloomy scene, as he looked out of the passenger side window of the car Molly had been driving. Rain was threatening to fall and could hear the wind whistling through the glass of the windows. It had been an epic journey from the airport in Minneapolis and he had lost track of what the time of day was. As he tried to find his bearings, Molly sought out his first impressions of her residence, which stood right before them.

"So what do you think?" Molly asked, puzzling the woozy Randy. After he returned a mere shrug of the shoulders, Molly helped him out somewhat. "My home Randy. What do you think of my home?" she said, pointing through the windshield at her place.

Randy looked straight ahead and was astonished to see what appeared to be a tiny cottage; he had seen Chris Jericho's extravagant rock-star mansion, Christian's modern home full of the latest technology, and Matt Hardy's expansive luxury apartment, but the sight of Molly's place was even more jaw-dropping. The first word that entered his head was 'wow'; her residence was not the sort of place a typical WWE Superstar lived in.

Just from seeing the outside of the building, he could tell that the place had character and reflected Molly's humble image; not to mention her upbringing. He took a look at the immediate surroundings and noticed that, save for a garage just off from her house, there were no other buildings in sight. A forest surrounded the entire area, though the trees weren't really tall enough to block out what little light was still present that evening.

"You live in the middle of nowhere…" he said, still gob smacked by the amazing nature of her property. He couldn't wait to take a peek inside.

"Yeah, I guess I do!" she said perkily. "You want to check it out?"

"I sure do." he replied, and they both exited the car. Randy went round to the trunk and helped Molly lift their luggage out, before heading up to the entrance. He took another look at the outside of the building, as they walked up the graveled drive together. If anything, it looked even smaller than it did when he viewed it from the inside of the car. It was nothing more than a cabin, and looked rather rickety. He was slightly concerned, as a loud clap of thunder sounded and the dull evening sky was illuminated by a bright flash of lightning. As the threat of rain materialized and it began to teem down, the two of them made haste across the driveway towards the front door.

Molly desperately tried to find the key to the front door in her handbag, as they both sought refuge under a shelter situated at the entrance. "I must apologize for the inclement weather, it is forever raining out here." she said, in a gesture which was not really necessary.

'She is just too sweet sometimes…' Randy thought, as Molly finally found her key and unlocked the door. She went to pick her bags up, only for Randy to usher her away; as he picked them up himself. Molly wouldn't stand back and let him 'get away' with that, as she maneuvered around him and picked up his bags. They were far heavier than hers, but that made no difference to her.

"I am supposed to be looking after you remember…" she quipped, as Randy reluctantly allowed her to cart his bags into the cabin. Molly flicked on the light switch as she entered, which lit a light bulb hanging in the centre of her living room.

His wonderment continued as he walked through the entrance; he was confronted with her living room immediately, which contained nothing more than a luxurious leather couch, a large oval rug in front of that, and a cabinet that he assumed was the home of Molly's entertainment equipment. He couldn't believe that she would live so primitively, that she didn't even have a television set.

Three rooms branched off on the far side of the room, but that was it; there was no staircase, as the cabin was only a one-storey building. He didn't detect much in the way of heating, as there was no fireplace. 'How does she live like this?' was his initial reaction to the interior.

Molly directed Randy across the wooden flooring, towards the left hand room of the three across on the far wall of the cabin, as they had entered. She opened the old wooden door to the room, turned on a lamp that stood in the corner and dragged his bags inside. It was evidently going to be Randy's bedroom for the duration of his stay, as she heaved his belongings onto a bed situated in the centre of the box room. Once again, in keeping with the rest of the residence, this particular room was tiny. There was not even room for a side table, as the double bed left only a slither of room along its sides. There was just enough room for a small chest of drawers next to the door, and barely enough for the two to stand side by side in front of it.

"Well, as you might have guessed… this is your room." Molly said, as Randy continued to peruse his surroundings. "I hope you have plenty of warm clothing with you, because it can get pretty chilly out here… and I only have an electric heater." she said awkwardly. The irony was, that she was supposed to be nursing Randy back to full fitness after his cold earlier in the week; if anything, her cabin was far from ideal for that. Molly was hardened to the conditions in her home state, so the thought had never crossed her mind until that point.

"I think I will manage…" Randy said, with a distinct lack of confidence. At least the thick blanket on the bed looked ample enough to keep him warm at night. He immediately opened one of his cases to find a woolen sweater that he knew he had; the cabin was extremely cold and he was only just over the worst of his illness. He found the item he was after, and pulled it over his head, which was enough to put a smile on Molly's face.

Randy left the rest of his unpacking, as Molly grabbed his hand and led him next door to show him the bathroom. Once again, there was barely enough room to breathe in there, as an old ceramic bathtub took up the majority of the room. Randy noticed there was no shower unit; he couldn't remember the last time he had sat in a bath to wash, rather than use a shower.

Molly then led him into the final room of the three he had seen upon entry, which was her kitchen area. It was the same old story in there, as space was at a premium and an old gas stove appeared to be the primary source of cooking equipment; there did not appear to be a microwave oven for instance.

"Hey Molls, I gotta ask you something." Randy spoke up.

"Sure."

"How do you survive in this place?" he asked, as curiosity finally got the better of him. "I mean, it's like a throwback to the ancient past."

Molly scowled at his suggestion that she was stuck in yesteryear. "I'll have you know Randy Orton, that everything in this house is in good working order and does it job. I don't need fancy gadgets and gizmos to survive you know."

"Let me guess… you go fishing and hunting in the woods, rather than use the local convenience store." he joked, with a hint of seriousness in his suggestion. He wasn't surprised when Molly thumped him on the arm once more; that was becoming something of a habit, as his mouth constantly got him into trouble.

"I resent that remark! Don't worry though, you can make up for it by going down to the convenience store in the morning for me." she snapped in return.

"Fine by me." Randy responded, with a smug grin on his face. That cocky look was soon wiped clean from his face, when Molly informed him of the location of the nearest store.

"Well, on the evidence of that workout the other day… a 30 mile round trip shouldn't do you any harm at all." she said, laughing heartily at what Randy had just let himself in for. He looked mortified for a few moments, as Molly watched him cringe. She just couldn't bring herself to see him like that for too long, so she put him out of his misery. "I'm only kidding Randy… we can ride in my set of wheels."

Randy breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that. He noticed that Molly had filled a sauce pan full of water and placed it on the stove. She took a box of matches from one of the drawers in the kitchen, in order to light the stove and heat up the water. "I'm going to make a cup of coffee, do you fancy one?" she asked.

"Yes please." he accepted her offer. "You do have milk and sugar?"

"There is no milk obviously… as it only goes off because I am never here. But there should be some sugar in that cupboard over there." she said, pointing up at one of the cupboards above her refrigerator. As Randy went rummaging for some sugar, something odd struck him. 'I'm sure I only saw three rooms… and there is only one bedroom…'

"Molly…" he said, trying to attract her attention as he continued his search.

"Randy…"

"Are there any other rooms, you haven't shown me?"

"Well… there is my garage, but apart from that… you've pretty much had the guided tour." she replied.

"So… if I am sleeping in that bedroom, where will you be sleeping?" he asked, having no idea what the arrangement would be.

"My couch is really comfy, so I'll be able to snuggle up on there with a blanket. And before you say anything… you are my guest this weekend, so I insist that you sleep in the bedroom."

"Moll…" Randy tried to protest, but before he could continue he felt Molly's hand clamp over his mouth. That startled him, causing him to turn on his heels to face her.

"No arguments hun. Call it girlfriend's prerogative." she said sternly, pointing at him with her free hand. He loved it… whether Molly was being kind, or laughing and joking, or telling him what to do, like in that particular instance… the girl seemed like human perfection, and he was the lucky one reaping the reward.


	13. The Cabin, Part Two

**Chapter 13: The Cabin, Part Two**

"Why don't you go and sit down in there, I will bring our drinks through." Molly offered, as the sauce pan of water on the stove began to simmer. Randy took her lead and left the kitchen to have a look round her living room.

He noticed a small table at the side of the couch, which had been concealed from his view as he had initially entered the cabin. A small book with a burgundy cover sat on top of it, and nothing else. He went over and had a look to see what it was; it was a copy of the bible. Randy had heard that she was very religious, and by the looks of it, she didn't read anything else.

The next step was to check out her 'entertainment' system, which he assumed was stationed in the deep cabinet against the wall on the near side of the cabin. He carefully opened the pine doors of the antique piece of furniture to be graced with the sight of possibly the oldest television and video he had seen in his lifetime. The television set was no widescreen job with digital surround sound, like he had; it was a true relic.

He noticed a stack of videos lined along the shelves beneath the television and video. According to the labels on the side of the tapes, Molly watched a lot of wrestling in her spare time. One particular thing that stood out to him was a collection of tapes marked with names like Trish, Victoria and Lita on the side of them; she obviously studied her opponents meticulously in her spare time.

With no apparent signs of a remote control for the visual equipment, he fiddled with some of the knobs and buttons to try and turn the television on. After about half a minute of tinkering, he managed to kick start the machine to life. As the box warmed up and a picture formed, he noticed that he must have accidentally knocked the video player during his attempt to turn the television on.

He picked up immediately that it was a video from WrestleMania earlier that year, from New York City. After a few seconds, it was clear that Molly had been watching a re-run of her match with Victoria from that event, and the aftermath of that match clicked in Randy's mind. As footage rolled of Molly being strapped into the barbers chair by Victoria, he desperately tried to switch the tape off before Molly returned. His efforts were in vain.

"I haven't got cable so you will have to…" she began to say from the kitchen, until she walked into the living room and saw what was playing on the television. She nearly dropped the two steaming cups of coffee in her hands, as she saw the images of Victoria shaving her head at WrestleMania.

"Listen Molly, I'm really sorry! I accidentally knocked it, and…" Randy tried to apologize, but found he couldn't find the right words to say.

Molly calmly walked over to the table next to the couch and placed the two hot drinks down. She then sat down on her couch, and gestured for Randy to move aside, so she could watch the rest of her ritual humiliation. He obliged, by side stepping out of her way; he was extremely surprised that she was so willing to sit there and seemingly torture herself by watching it again. Her eyes were glued to the action, she didn't blink until all was said and done.

"Molls…" Randy tried to speak as Molly got up and switched the video off; she held her hand up and then beckoned him to sit on the couch with her. She handed him his cup of coffee, and addressed him to explain how she could be so at ease about such a horrific occurrence in her life.

"It's okay hun. It happened, life moves on." she said in a straightforward manner.

"Are you sure? I mean, Vicky really did make a…" he couldn't spit the last part out, for fear of offending.

"A fool of me?" Molly finished his sentence for him. "Yeah, she did… but I did ask for it you know."

"Nobody deserves to get their head shaved bald Molly… nobody." Randy said, emoting disgust at the predicament she had been placed in.

"Did you care at the time?" Molly asked, looking into the steely eyes of Randy. He quickly averted her gaze, as he couldn't bring himself to respond. The only thing breaking the silence, was the constant patter of rain on the tin roof of the cabin, and periodic claps of thunder. "Didn't think so." she said, with a giggle.

"I was kinda preoccupied that night." he explained.

"Speaking of which, it must have been amazing to have been in a match at a Mania with people like Rocky and Mick Foley?"

"Not to mention Naitch…" he added. "Yeah, it was pretty darn cool. Evolution was my life back then."

"Do you miss being a part of that?"

"I'd like to be able to say no, but I do miss the high life I used to lead along with those guys… the money, the parties, the beautiful women…" he said, nearly giving himself a cardiac arrest as he realized his tongue had slipped. "Oh… I… uh…"

Molly simply took a sip from her mug of coffee; she seemed totally unperturbed by his mention of 'beautiful women'. If anything a smirk started to form on her face. "I wondered when you would crack." she commented.

"Listen, I don't mean I prefer that lifestyle… not at all!" he blurted, desperately trying to save his skin. "I'd much rather sit here with you all night, listening to your favorite songs, before falling asleep in each others arms!"

Molly was amazed to see Randy dive to the ground in front of her, on his hands and knees, and beg for forgiveness. 'He doesn't need to do this… but I'm not complaining.' she thought to herself.

"Don't hate me for saying those things Molly!" he cried, continuing his astonishing plea for clemency. Molly placed her mug down on the floor, and held her arms out to beckon him in for a hug.

"Come here you big softy… after the week we have had together, I don't think I could bring myself to hate you if I tried." she said.

Randy quickly darted up into her arms and embraced her, utterly relieved that he had been spared from execution. 'Me and my big mouth…' he concluded, as he enjoyed the warmth of Molly's affection.

After they had let each other go, Randy made himself comfortable on the couch once more. He shuffled up right next to Molly and with some subtle body language, urged her to snuggle into him. She didn't need a second invitation to oblige, as she leant her head across his broad chest and slid an arm in around his waist. Randy gave her a soft peck on the forehead, and sighed happily about his new found love.

"I hope this lasts forever Molly." he said, in a heartfelt tone of voice. "You know… me and you."

"It will Randy… it will." she replied with conviction. She had never been more confident about anything in her entire life. "I love you will all my heart…"

"I love you too Molly…"

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I don't like A/N's generally, but I think it is only fair to let you in on the lack of activity from me recently. I've been preoccupied over the holiday period, as a lot of people are, but I have found myself sidetracked by another project that is not a fanfiction. I do have plans for this fiction and have a few more chapters already written, which I will post soon. I just cannot promise a time scale on when this fiction, or any of my others, will get completed. I do appreciate the support of those who read my work, and I will endeavour to churn some morechapters out soon!

A happy new year to all, and I hope you all have a prosperous 2005.


	14. The Cabin, Part Three

**Chapter 14: The Cabin, Part Three**

As the midnight hour approached, the hailstorm outside Molly's shack finally subsided, to be replaced by the soft patter of less severe rainfall. Molly and Randy were still happily snuggled up on the couch in her living room, watching some classic wrestling footage on video.

"Didn't you used to be part of his entourage?" he asked, as another Randy, Savage, cut a promo on the screen.

Molly laughed, recalling the early days of her career, when she did indeed accompany the Macho Man. It was funny how she had come full circle since her television debut; from one Randy to another. There was no contest as to which one she preferred to be around.

"I did. It was… fun, I guess." she replied. "What is it with people called Randy hey?"

"Savage?" he responded. "You aren't comparing me to him are you?!"

Molly glanced up at Randy, who had a look of consternation on his face. She loved seeing him in a state about things; he looked cute when he was flustered.

"Of course not silly… After all, Macho Man was a much better wrestler than you." Molly answered, not being able to contain her amusement.

"Why you…" Randy said, assisting Molly with her laughing, by tickling her mercilessly. She writhed and wriggled, trying to escape his harassment, but thanks to her fits of laughter she had a hard time doing so.

"Get off me!" she cried playfully, as Randy continued to torture her. Molly managed to squirm free of his grasp, and made a dash for it, but Randy would not be denied, as he chased her to the bedroom and managed to grab her around the waist. He spun her around to face his body; in doing so however, he stumbled and the two of them fell onto the bed.

As they sprung up and then back down onto the soft mattress, Molly let out a squeal as Randy lay on top of her with his arms still firmly around her waist. It was a compromising position, that neither really knew how to react to. They locked eyes, orbs that were glazed with passion. Randy could not resist the temptation to place his lips onto Molly's, as they kissed fervently in the aftermath of their fun and games.

The bond between the two was becoming stronger and stronger with each passing second. Every time they kissed, it was becoming all the more harder to break away; they both wanted each kiss to last forever. Naturally, that wasn't practical and they did have to relent at some point, but it caused much pain each time. Randy gingerly pulled his head back, and took in the wonderful sight of Molly's face. Her beaming smile and the photogenic features of her face were a joy to behold.

He managed to snap out of his trance for a moment to address something that had been bugging him all evening; the sleeping arrangements. Seeing as they were in the room that was causing the problem in his mind, he decided to bring it up.

"Molly… about the bed."

"Randy…" she said, not wanting to hear any objections. Randy carefully placed a finger over her lips, urging her to hear him out.

"I can't have you sleeping on the couch, it's not fair on you in your own home." he began. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me over the past couple of days, but I'm going to have to insist on sleeping on the couch."

Molly waited for him to remove his finger from her lips, as her heart began to beat furiously against the wall of her chest. It was such a frantic pulse, that it may well have been reverberating against Randy's body; which still lay snugly against hers.

She'd had a brainwave, one that was totally out of character for her. 'Maybe we could share the same bed.' she mused. She didn't know if that was what she really wanted, or if the steaminess of the situation she was in was warping her thoughts. There she lay with perhaps the hunkiest member of the Raw locker room, on her very own bed and they were completely and utterly in love with each other. There ought to have been no problem, but for the first time in days, her tentative side reared its head.

"Is that a deal?" Randy asked, referring to the offer he had just made.

Molly disregarded his words, as she hurried through her thought process in her head. She was itching to ask him what she had just pondered moments earlier, but was struggling to spit it out. For once, her beliefs weren't holding her back; she had always convinced herself that if a guy was the right person for her, she could go to those places that her beliefs often prevented her. As far as Randy being right for her was concerned… her mind had been made up before they had even arrived in Minnesota. Randy Orton was the man she wanted to be with, and he was the man she would be prepared to lose her virginity to…

"Molly?" Randy repeated, trying to get an answer from her. She looked him in the eye, and attempted to compose herself to offer her suggestion to him. She was petrified that she would make a fool of herself, but there was only going to be one sure fire way to find out; put it to him.

"Why don't we share the bed?" she said, the nervous tension clearly apparent in her voice. She struggled to maintain her eye contact with Randy, as she dreaded his response. Randy motioned back from the position he had been in, and stood up at the side of the bed. Molly had caught him completely off guard; that was the last thing he'd expect her to suggest.

It brought back home to Randy the very reason he was in that situation in the first place; the juvenile bet he had agreed to participate in with his friends. A bet, which at first had seemed so stupid, when he discovered he'd been 'lumbered' with Molly, but had inadvertently brought love to the pair of them. A bet he didn't want to win, but was potentially on the verge of doing so.

The anxious silence in the aftermath of Molly's bombshell proposition, led her to assume that she had made a mistake. As she sat up on the edge of the bed, she felt crushed, observing the shocked expression on Randy's face.

"You don't want to… do you?" she said dejectedly.

Randy found himself struggling to answer. At the end of the day, he wanted nothing more than to jump into the same bed as her; he adored her, and the thought of sharing intimacy with her was a proposition he would have jumped at under any other circumstances. But the bet, and the implications of winning that bet…

As Molly sat up, Randy sighed and joined her by sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. He reassured her somewhat, as he placed his arm around her shoulder and brought her closer to him for a cuddle. He had to find the right words to say, that would not give her the wrong impression.

"It's not that I don't want to…" he said carefully. "It's just I don't want to take advantage of you."

"Advantage? You wouldn't be taking advantage of me at all." she responded, checking out his furrowed brow. She wasn't convinced by his explanation at all.

"Sleeping in the same bed… that's a big step Molls."

"Why are you making excuses? Don't you find me attractive in that way?" she said, with a hint of desperation in her voice.

'Why am I making excuses?' he thought; she had a good point. He found her attractive in every way possible, which included seeing the _real _Molly. There was no escaping the truth, he'd fantasized about seeing her body the night before… he never imagined that he would be presented with a gilt edged opportunity so soon.

"I think you are absolutely gorgeous Molls." he said passionately.

"But…" she pre-empted.

"No buts… I mean it." he replied.

"Just not enough to share the bed with me?" she said disconsolately.

Randy looked at her forlorn expression, and felt awful for putting her through such misery. Then he saw the curves of her amazing figure; that very figure that he loved to bond next to. His mind wandered into the land of the sub-conscious, as he attempted to picture what she would look like, sans clothing. He didn't need to visualize however, and once that clicked in his head, he realized that he could not turn her offer down; bet or no bet. He was just going to have to live dangerously, not for the first time in his life.

Without responding to her remark, he got up from the bed and stood directly in front of her. She tilted her head up to check out what he was doing, and she was pleasantly surprised. He pulled the sweater he had been wearing over his head, and began to unbutton his shirt slowly.

"Only an idiot would resist…" he finally admitted, bringing a smile to Molly's face. She sprung to her feet and on her tip toes, she planted a kiss on him.

"Thank you Randy." she said, relieved that he was willing to share the bed with her. As she began to reciprocate his undressing actions, she felt sure she was making the right decision. At that point, she had to be; there would be no room for turning back.


	15. The Bowling Alley

**Chapter 15: The Bowling Alley**

'This is not my idea of fun.' Trish thought, as she pulled on a pair of bowling shoes. She had only accepted Matt's offer of going along to the bowling alley, because she couldn't bear the thought of another night in on her own, at the hotel. Ever since Molly and Randy had become friendly with each other, she had suffered a streak of those.

She had become used to a cozy little routine with Molly; attend each event together, work out together, dine together, party together… Trish had missed that during the week, and had felt extremely lonely as a result. In effect, Molly and Randy being together was doing her head in.

"Well look who it is…" Trish heard the all too familiar voice of one of her least favorite people; Chris Jericho. She turned and saw Jericho, alongside Christian; flanking them were Victoria and Gail Kim. 'Fantastic… all my enemies have come together for a reunion party.'

"Hey guys, glad you could make it!" Matt said excitedly, as he returned to the side of Trish, having secured a lane for them all to play on. "We're all set to go, if you all get your shoes… we can start hitting some strikes!"

As the newly arrived foursome followed his suggestion, Trish followed Matt towards the lane they were going to use during their game. She had a bone to pick with him, for his choice of invitees.

"Did you have to ask all of _them_ along?" she snapped, her forehead wrinkling as her rage came to prominence on her face. "I mean, Jericho and the CLB… I can just about condone… but Vicky and Gail?"

"I didn't invite them Trish." Matt informed her. "I told the guys they could bring somebody along with them if they wanted. Blame them, not me."

'Typical.' Trish concluded, as Matt waded straight in to pick up a bowling ball. He looked like he was eager to get started, whilst she was on the verge of wanting to leave. 'Give it a chance, it might be fun… ugh, who am I kidding?'

"It's been too long since I had a bowl… how about you Trish?" Matt asked.

"What?" Trish responded, oblivious to what he was inquiring about.

"Bowling… you play much?"

"No." she replied, bluntly. She folded her arms and sat on one of the leather clad benches, that was alongside the lane they were playing on.

Matt checked her out; he was bemused by her lack of enthusiasm. 'Why did she even bother coming, if she is just going to be like this?' he thought. "We could have done something else you know Trish, it wouldn't have bothered me." he said, trying to improve her mood.

All it succeeding in doing was stirring her into action. She sprung to her feet and grabbed the nearest ball; she practically barged her way past Matt and sent her ball careering down the alley towards the pins. With a crash, she knocked over all ten, simple as that.

Matt watched on, his mouth gaping wide as he took in what Trish had just done. "I thought you said you didn't play much!"

"I don't. Must be beginners luck." Trish said, as she walked straight past Matt again and re-stationed herself on the bench.

"Looks like we missed some action peeps!" Christian said, as the other quartet made their way over to join Matt and Trish. "What happened there V1?"

Matt nodded in the direction of Trish, to intimate that she was responsible for the X that was flashing on their electronic scorecard.

"Looks like you are on to a winner there Matty boy!" Chris said, playfully slapping Matt on the back. "Come on Queen V, we are going to have to put these chumps in their place!"

"You're nuts Chris!" Victoria said, chuckling at Chris' battle cry.

"The lady is right Jericho, you are crazy if you think you can beat Captain Charisma and the Asian Sensation… we're talking _dream team_ here man!" Christian retaliated, bringing Gail in close to his side; the two puts arms around each others sides, to show the solidarity between them as a team.

Meanwhile, Trish was silently cursing her luck. 'It's going to be a _long_ night.' she suspected.

* * *

Trish continued to play a consistent game, and along with Matt, they were cruising as far as the team scores were concerned. She had managed to calm down somewhat, and she almost began to enjoy Matt's company; he was a nice guy after all, who was articulate and very respectful of her. She couldn't recall too many guys treating her that way in the past, whether that was her own fault or not.

Through the random nonsense the other two guys were spouting and the annoying laughter of their partners, Trish picked up on an interesting phenomenon. 'Randy and Molly… Chris and Victoria… Christian and Gail…' Basically all of Matt's friends had suddenly become interested in those girls, in a very short space of time. Being the curious woman she was, she sensed that something was going on; and she was determined to get to the bottom of it, by hook or by crook.

She picked up on Chris and Christian slinking off in the direction of the men's room, which was suspicious enough in itself. She was prepared to do a little undercover detective work to try and establish if there was anything going on to explain the recent spate of new relationships.

"I'll be back in a minute Matt, I need to go make a call." she said to Matt, fobbing him off with any old excuse to give her the opportunity to follow the other men.

She stealthily followed them, charting their course extremely carefully. They stopped just shy of the men's room and found a quiet corner just off from there to have their 'secret' discussion. Trish managed to navigate a safe path to a pillar, which allowed her to listen in without them knowing about it. Trish had to really focus her hearing in, as she could only just make out their mumbled tones.

"This has to end soon, Vicky is doing my head in Christian! But never mind that… what's this about Molly and Randy? Can you believe that?"

"Yeah, but come on Chris… Molly will see through him sooner or later… I mean Molly and Randy, how stupid is that!"

"Yeah, but he has gone away with her this weekend… to her place no less. You gotta hand it to the kid, he is pulling out all the stops. I reckon he is doing it just to spite the two of us you know."

"Can't argue with that… I hope he realizes that his efforts are all academic though, because Captain Charisma has got this one in the bag!"

"So you think you're in there with Gail do you, junior?"

"I don't _think_ I'm in there Chris… I _know_."

"Well hurry up and get on with it then, before Vicky drives me even more berserk… or worse still, Molly and Randy… ugh!"

"Damn, I dread to think… no worries man, I'm ready to seal the deal…"

With that, the conversation ended and Trish made sure she was not visible to either Jericho or Christian, as they made their way back over towards Matt and the other girls. She tried to take in everything they had said and make sense of what they had been referring to. It didn't take her long to figure it out; 'Sounds like there is some sort of game going on… I should have known…'


	16. The Dilemma

**Chapter 16: The Dilemma**

"_Randy, that was the most wonderful experience of my life… Thank you."_

"_For you Molly… it's the least I can do. I'm truly blessed to have found somebody like you. We are both blessed."_

"_You might be right. God seems to be smiling down upon us…"_

"_If he is, will you thank him for me?"_

Randy slowly edged out of the subconscious world of the dreams inside his head, and snapped back into the reality of the real world. He turned over in the bed, expecting Molly to still be at his side. As he went to place his arm around her and give her a hug, he noticed her side of the bed was empty.

He opened his eyes, squinting as a blinding ray of sunlight peaked through a gap in the curtains. Once he had managed to readjust his vision, he strained to look over to the alarm clock positioned on the chest of drawers in Molly's bedroom. It looked like it was around ten o'clock; he'd overslept.

He swung his legs out to the side of the bed, and set about finding Molly. He changed into a pair of casual pants and a training vest, and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He needed some cold water, to try and wake himself up, as he stretched his arms out in a tired motion.

After splashing some cool water on his face, in the process freshening himself up, he proceeded to check the kitchen for clues of Molly's whereabouts. She wasn't to be found in her living room, nor the kitchen, but a note on the counter revealed all.

_Randy,_

_I am in the garage outside, just doing my daily workout. Give me a shout when you're up and I'll come and put some breakfast on for you._

_Love,_

_Molly x_

He adored her signature; she had drawn a little smiley face in the curl of the letter 'y'. It summed her up; she was so much fun to be around.

He was starving, so the thought of having breakfast cooked for him was a very enticing one. Without further ado, he went back to the bedroom to slip on a pair of trainers, and headed outside to see his darling.

He savored the crisp morning air, as birds sang their melodies and the trees swayed gently all around; the climate had improved drastically from the night before. In the background, Randy could just about make out the clink of weights, coming from the garage in Molly's front yard. He made his way over, and smiled at the sight of Molly working out.

"48… 49… 50!" she said, finishing off her set of repetitions.

Randy crept over to her, and placed his arms around her shoulders, giving her the big hug he had wanted to give her in bed a few minutes earlier. "Morning gorgeous…"

He placed a soft kiss on her neck, which prompted her to tilt her head to give him a kiss back.

"I wondered when you would drag yourself out of bed…" Molly said in a mock serious tone. "Have a good sleep?"

"Yeah… I overslept. Sorry." he said, apologetically.

"It's no problem. You looked so peaceful, I wouldn't have dreamed of disturbing you." she replied, thinking happily of the sight of Randy softly snoring in the bed first thing in the morning.

"How long have you been up?" he asked.

"Hmm…" she wondered. "A good two or three hours I'd say. I always like to get up bright and early, it's really nice seeing the sunrise you know?"

Randy nodded in agreement, as he let Molly out of his embrace. "And seeing you in the morning is the best sunrise a man could wish for…"

"If I didn't know you better Randy, I'd say you were being corny…" she said, allowing herself a little chuckle at his statement. "Do you fancy some breakfast then honey?"

"Sounds good to me sugar…"

* * *

Molly handed Randy a tray, offering a few slices of toast, a hearty English breakfast and a glass of fresh orange juice. She handed him a knife and fork, and went to return to the kitchen to clear up.

"Thanks Molls, this looks… and smells great." he complemented her.

"No problem… you enjoy it." she said, as Randy eagerly tucked into the food on his lap. His initial reaction to Molly's cooking skills was that she was even more perfect than he had alluded to earlier; the cuisine tasted incredible. She'd piled up plenty for him too, which was instantly endearing.

"Everything okay Randy?" Molly shouted from the kitchen, checking that her cooking was up to scratch; she hadn't cooked a meal for anybody but herself in a long time. Whenever she was with Trish, they ate out.

Randy finished swallowing what was already in his mouth, before replying. "Perfect." he shouted back to her.

She poked her head round the corner of the door, to watch him eating. Whilst it could be considered rude to do that, she couldn't resist a peak at him tucking into the breakfast she had served up. 'Looks like he hasn't been fed for a week!' she observed, as he frantically shoveled the food into his mouth.

She was about to return to her clearing up, when she stopped and thought about the night before. She had put off thinking about it first thing that morning, because it was something she really wanted to discuss with Randy. With Randy out of bed and awake, she felt like putting it off even longer; she didn't want it to spoil their weekend together, or worse still their relationship. 'If Randy says something… then I'll talk about it.' she convinced herself.

There was another issue to confront; going public about their relationship. Most of their colleagues had been in and out of 'locker room' relationships and had been pretty open about them. Molly didn't feel so easy about sharing details of her personal life with them, because she had witnessed several instances of breakups, which could be attributed to the intense spotlight that colleagues put on each others private lives.

Vicious rumors and back biting were a frequent problem in the WWE fraternity; something Molly was desperate to steer clear of. She was sure she had found the right man for her, and for the first time in her life she genuinely believed that it might work out. There was no way she wanted anybody or anything to come between them.

With it being a slightly less delicate subject than the other issue on her mind, she felt easier with the idea of confronting Randy about it. She finished clearing her cooking materials away, and cleaned the worktops down, which gave Randy time to finish his breakfast. Right on cue, she walked back into the living room just as he was polishing off the last slice of toast she had made for him.

Randy saw her approaching and finished his mouthful, before thanking her. "Thanks Molls, I really enjoyed that."

Molly handed him his half finished glass of juice, and took the tray off his lap; she placed it down on the table alongside the couch. She sat next to Randy, and tentatively addressed the issue on her mind.

"Randy… There's something I want to talk to you about." she said delicately.

Randy didn't like the sound of that; it sounded ominous. He had wondered if Molly would bring up what had happened the night before, and it appeared that she wanted to.

"Oh, about that…" he tried to say, but Molly cut him off before he could say any more.

"I don't think we should go public just yet."

"Public?" he responded.

"Yeah. You know… me and you."

"You and me?"

"I mean, announcing to the locker room that we are a couple. What did you think I meant?" she clarified.

With the uncomfortable silence that followed, Molly realized that Randy was probably thinking about the events of the night before, just like she had herself in the kitchen. Neither of them wanted to touch on that issue.

"Right, I knew that." Randy said, clearly flustered by the conversation they were fumbling their way through.

More unnerving seconds of hush followed, as both Randy and Molly twitched nervously. If ever a change of subject was needed, the time was about right. Molly insisted on getting an answer to her dilemma however.

"So what do you think?" she said, a shade tetchily.

"About what?" he responded, blank to the subject they were supposed to be talking about. The events of the night before were foremost in his mind, and he was struggling to focus on anything else. Molly was not best pleased.

"Are you paying any attention to me!" she shouted, forcing Randy to sit up and take notice. He saw and heard a side of Molly that she had managed to control throughout the course of their brief relationship. He quickly sought to make amends for his lax concentration.

"I'm sorry Molls… I'm just a little tired you know." he apologized.

Molly's cheeks reddened, as she became conscious of the grouchy side of her temperament surfacing. She was eager to dispel any negative emotions swiftly.

"No, you shouldn't need to apologize Randy… There was no need for me to snap at you." she conceded. "I'm just nervous about what people are going to say about us being together, that's all."

Randy took a hold of her hands and gripped them tightly, trying to inspire some confidence in her. "Listen babe. Don't worry about the guys at work, let them talk about us. As long as we remain solid together, there is nothing that can stop us." he said boldly.

"Do you think so?" she replied.

"I do." he answered positively. Molly looked dreamily into his eyes and could not resist the urge to bury her head in his chest. As she did, Randy reflected on his assurances to her. He wanted to believe that everything would be okay, but he had a horrid feeling in the pit of his stomach that 'the bet' was going to come back to haunt him…


	17. The Locker Room

**Chapter 17: The Locker Room**

"So how was your romantic weekend then?"

"Oh... it was okay. I suppose."

"Only okay?"

"Yeah."

It was not the kind of response that Matt had been expecting upon confronting Randy on his return to the dressing room for the event scheduled on that night. He had been eagerly awaiting news of developments in Randy's relationship with Molly, but was to be disappointed.

"How about you?" Randy asked, with very little vigor or interest.

Matt wondered if he should answer truthfully, given Randy's downbeat mood. After a split-second to weigh up his options, he opted to tell the truth.

"It was really good thanks. We went bowling... Trish helped me to kick the other guys' asses!"

"Really? Great."

Randy's answer was completely devoid of any enthusiasm, which began to frustrate Matt. He was convinced that something was up and wanted to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible.

"Have you fallen out with Molly?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Look at your face man! You look like a wet weekend... must be all that Minnesotan rain!"

Randy ignored Matt's chirpy comment, as he turned to check out his appearance in a mirror next to the lockers in the dressing room. His usual cocky expression and smooth facial features were nowhere to be seen, giving way to a dour grimace and bags under his eyes. He did indeed look like a wet weekend, although it wasn't because he had fallen out with Molly. They had enjoyed a nice break from their usual punishing schedule and he felt recouped and reinvigorated in preparation for his return to the ring.

"I'm just a bit tired Matt. Still fighting off that cold I had." he said, lying through his teeth. It felt easier to keep his best friend off his back, rather than skirt with the real reason for his tension.

"I guess that makes sense. Well, as long as you are sure... I mean, you can talk it through with me any time. If there is something bothering you?"

"I'll be fine. I just need to get back in the ring, and put a show on tonight."

He needed a distraction, anything, to take his mind off of the nagging thoughts in the back of his mind. The uneasiness made him feel nauseous, which was not ideal given the fact that he was due out in the arena in less than twenty minutes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We watched some videos, and had some lovely meals together and sat outside staring at the stars all night... it was so romantic, I'm telling you."

"Bet it was."

"He's such an amazing guy to be around. I'm not sure I have ever been happier."

"Great."

As Molly enthused about her weekend with Randy in the diva's locker room, Trish stared glumly in the opposite direction, as her friend prepared for her first match on live television for a good few months.

"Things are really looking up for me... a match on Raw and Randy Orton as my boyfriend." Molly said dreamily, which stirred Trish to life in a flash.

"Excuse me?" she said, shocked to hear that Molly called Randy her boyfriend.

"Oh... sorry, I should have said. Me and Randy are _official_ now."

"You're properly seeing each other?"

"I guess you could say that!"

Trish scowled, and felt anger gush through her veins at hearing that things were so rosy between them. Not only was she jealous of the attention Molly was receiving, but she knew something was going on in the men's locker room that could potentially undermine Molly's relationship with Randy. It didn't take Molly long to notice how perturbed Trish was by the news.

"Why the mad face? I thought you would be happy for me?" she said, disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm from Trish. She had half expected some cold body language after the way she had abandoned their plans for a girly weekend, but not the face of fury that was confronting here there and then.

"Huh... I am... I mean, great. Good luck to you." Trish said, trying not to burst Molly's bubble, but it was already too late.

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you just tell the truth. You can't stand Randy and hate to see us happy together."

Trish refused to answer, as Molly's comment cut deep into her heart. After hearing Jericho and Christian's conversation, she badly wanted to warn Molly of the possible peril that lay just around the corner, but knew how much love had blinded her and doubted she would be receptive of any claim about the legitimacy of Randy's affections.

Molly had to leave the dressing room to head off for her match, but she decided to leave a parting shot before she did. She hated falling out with Trish and wanted things to be sorted out, otherwise their friendship would fall apart.

"I don't know what has gotten into you the last week or so Trish, but I don't want to fall out with you over this. Just please be happy for me, OK?"

Trish looked over towards Molly, who looked back hopefully. She considered the request for a moment, and then nodded meekly. She managed the semblance of a smile, before Molly shot a happy expression back herself. After the brunette had walked away however, the frown returned to Trish's face.

'I'll show her...' she thought to herself, as she began to concoct a plan to expose Randy Orton and what she considered to be a sham of a relationship.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Great match!"

"Thanks..."

As Molly returned through the curtains after a hard fought victory, Randy stopped her in her tracks with a tender kiss. She felt some discomfort in her lower back from a bump taken during the match, but the kiss helped to soothe her aches and pains. The soreness soon eased off, as she allowed herself to enjoy the moment with Randy.

Their actions took the crew in the immediate vicinity of the area by surprise, who clearly had no idea that the two were an item. As a few of them murmured between themselves, Randy turned to them to set the record straight. He was determined to shake off the blues that he felt in the dressing room earlier that night.

"Yeah, that's right guys... Me and Molly are going out with each other. Just to set the record straight, before you lot decide to spread any gossip."

His proud statement attracted some wide-eyed stares, but succeeded in halting any more nattering about what the staff had just witnessed. Some scurried for cover, others carried on with their duties. Molly, in the mean time, dragged Randy to one side to give him a talking to.

"So much for me worrying about us going public! What did you go and say all that for?" she said, perturbed by his openness.

"We shouldn't have to creep around, kissing behind the bike sheds. I'm not ashamed to be with you, and I don't see why I should be." he replied, defending his actions. The bet still lingered in his mind, but he had plans to resolve that situation later in the night.

"Maybe I just wanted to keep things quiet for a while." she said in return, with a hint of discomfort in her voice. Despite that, she didn't want to cause any trouble over it, "But I guess it is OK. People will find out eventually."

"Yes, they will. Easier for them to find out from us, rather than on the grapevine. Trish for instance..."

"Randy! Your music is playing... You wrestling tonight, or what?" shouted one of the agents at the curtain.

"Sorry babes, gotta dash. I'll catch up with you later!" he said, before darting off to enter the arena.

'Trish for instance...' Molly thought to herself, wondering why Randy had singled her out. She wondered whether Trish had clashed with her boyfriend at some point in the past, or maybe even that night. There was definitely some animosity between the pair that started to concern her. She didn't want to have to choose between her best friend and the man she loved so dearly.

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Trish hadn't been scheduled to wrestle during the evening, so she had decided to use her time at the arena wisely, whilst Molly and Randy were busy. Whilst getting a bite to eat in the canteen, she thought about doing a bit more detective work, to try and uncover exactly what some of the guys in the locker room were up to. Rather than blow her cover completely by confronting Chris Jericho and Christian about what they were discussing at the bowling alley, she opted for a different approach.

Her first port of call was to interrogate her colleagues Gail and Victoria. Whilst she didn't particularly get along with the pair, she had no problem heading over to the table they were sat at and making her presence known.

"Ladies." she said, interrupting the dark haired diva's who had been in the middle of a conversation. "Sorry to break up your deep and meaningful discussion there."

"What do you want Trish?" asked Victoria cuttingly, as though she knew the blonde haired vixen was after something. Gail mimicked her pal, as they both stared Trish down and gave her an inquisitive glance.

"Just a moment of your time... If that is not too much trouble?" she asked innocently. She pouted and put her hands on her hips, to show them that she wasn't that bothered whether they wanted to talk to her or not. After exchanging gazes, Victoria nodded her head to let Trish know that she was free to join them for a moment.

"So what do we owe this great pleasure?" Gail asked sarcastically. Vicky laughed along, but Trish was in no mood for frivolities.

"I'll cut straight to the chase. What is the deal with you and the two creepy little bastards?"

Gail and Victoria consulted each other again by staring at each other, and seemed to be bothered by Trish's line of questioning.

"Why is it any of your business?" Victoria replied.

"It seems a little strange to me. First Molly and Randy. Now you guys. All seems a little fishy to me."

"Aww... You're not jealous are you Trishy?" Gail cut back. Trish scowled, but had no way off fighting back against the Asian's put down.

"Yeah, you're only worried because your precious friend Molly is spending every second of every day with her sweet heart now. And you are left out in the cold, because nobody loves you! Poor, poor Trish." Victoria added, chuckling away to herself and also sending Gail in a fit of laughter.

"I might have known you two would be so childish about it. I think I'll find somebody with half a brain cell, who might actually see what I am getting at." Trish said, getting up in a huff to leave the table before she'd had a chance to settle down.

"You do that. I'm sure Matty will listen to you. After all, you two are so made for each other!" Victoria quipped, as Trish departed.

"I mean... How boring!" Gail joked, loud enough for Trish to hear.

"Oh... And by the way Trish..." Victoria shouted, grabbing the attention of the Canadian before she could leave the canteen, "Nothing is happening with us and those guys. We just had a bit of fun last week. You should try it sometime!"

Trish shook off Victoria's remark and stormed out of the canteen. As she made her way down the corridor however, something clicked in her head. 'Perhaps I should go and talk to Matt.' she reasoned, because he was the kind of straight laced guy that could help her unravel the mystery of Molly and Randy's hasty pairing.


	18. The Wild Goose Chase

**Chapter 18: The Wild Goose Chase**

Randy made his way backstage after a hard fought match in the ring, feeling good after continuing his winning streak. He was on the verge of earning another shot at the World Title he coveted so badly, which would be the icing on the cake after his amazing discovery of Molly in his life. 'I wonder where she's got to?' he wondered, as she didn't appear to have stuck around to greet his return.

"Good match Randy!" one of the stage hands commented as he walked past.

"Thanks man." he replied graciously, "Hey... I don't suppose you have seen Molly have you?"

"Miss Holly? I'm not sure to be honest."

"Damn it. Never mind." he said, leaving the stage hand to continue with his work. He was hoping she would be on hand to congratulate him after his win, but it seemed like it wasn't to be. 'No matter' he thought, as he turned his mind to an important bit of business he had to settle. He had racked his brains all night, trying to think of a solution to the dilemma that was posed with the bet that he had made with his friends. The money didn't interest him at all, he just wanted the whole affair to be closed and never spoken about again.

He knew that if Molly ever found out about the bet, she would be mortified and would more than likely split with him immediately. His intention was to get V1, Y2J and Captain Charisma in the same room, so that they could end the debacle before things got out of hand. He was prepared to pay them all off if necessary, to preserve his reputation and standing with Molly. It meant that much to him.

He set off, eagerly seeking to hunt his three buddies down.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trish had spent a good twenty minutes searching for Matt, with no luck. She uncomfortably hung around the male locker room, hoping to bump into somebody who knew his whereabouts. That happened, but the two people who found her lurking in the corridor were not prepared to give out that information too easily.

"Well, well... Look what we have here!"

"The creepy Canadian slut, hanging around the men's locker room... Classy lady!"

If it hadn't been bad enough that she'd had to speak with Gail Kim and Victoria earlier, she felt doubly unlucky to encounter Chris Jericho and Christian. The night at the bowling alley had been torture for the most part, and that nightmare looked like it was going continue.

"Have you two seen Matt?" she asked, completely ignoring their wisecracks. Just like the two girls in the canteen, the two guys outside the locker room had no intention of making life easy for her.

"Wait a minute? She wants to know where Matt is?" Jericho said, his voice full of derision, "I do believe Trashy Stratus has a thing for our Matty Boy!"

"Whoever could believe that? We're obviously not good enough for her these days... Such a shame!" Christian added in jest, as the two men laughed at the expense of Trish.

"Forget it!" she said, figuring that she was not going to get any change out of them. Before she went to depart, she couldn't resist firing back a riposte of her own, "Oh, bad luck with the two dumb bitches at the weekend. As if you two would resort to chasing a pair like them anyway..."

Jericho and Christian were lost for words, as Trish strode away with a spring in her step. She enjoyed getting the last word. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she should have quizzed them about their shady chat at the bowling alley, but reasoned that they wouldn't have given anything away. She was going to have to use all of her feminine wiles to get what she was after. 'I might not have a thing for Matt... but if he has a thing for me...'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Molly held her back, as she continued to feel dull pain from a bump she had taken earlier in the evening. The sensible side of her nature urged her to get it checked out before she left the arena, so that she could be ready for shows later in the week. She was desperate to avoid missing any time in the ring, having made a victorious return to Raw after what seemed like an eternity. Trish and Randy could wait until she got the all clear from the trainers.

The treatment room was already busy as she entered; Matt Hardy just happened to be nursing a similar kind of injury. Molly saw him lay on his front, receiving a massage to help his ailing back. She made her way over to a spare treatment table in the room and after acknowledging the trainer, she greeted Randy's best friend.

"Hi Matt. Is everything OK?"

Matt had not noticed Molly enter the room, which caught him unawares. He turned his head over, as he had been facing in the opposite direction and caught a glimpse of Molly next to him.

"Oh... hey Molly. Didn't see you sneak in then!" he said, in a surprised tone. "I hurt my back in my match tonight, just getting some treatment on it. How about you? What brings you here?"

"Same deal. Believe it or not!" she replied, laying herself down on her table whilst she awaited attention. A few moments of silence passed, as the two encountered an awkward moment. Molly was well aware that Randy was close with Matt, having spoken about him at length over the weekend. Matt was unsure of whether he should talk about the weekend, given Randy's cold reaction earlier. They were both uneasy about the situation, and it didn't help that the trainer was in the middle of it too.

There was almost a battle of wills, as the pair fought against the temptation to talk about the Molly's love life. Molly was convinced that Randy must have told Matt the score and filled him in with all the details, seeing as he had been so eager to tell everybody else earlier. Matt, on the other hand, wondered if the pair were prospering at all and didn't want to talk about a potentially touchy subject if he didn't have to.

"Matt..." Molly started.

"Molly..." Matt said, at exactly the same time.

"Erm..." the trainer spoke up, realising that he was in the middle of a tense moment between the two, "Do you want me to leave you to it?"

Matt strained to look across to Molly, who nodded in agreement. The trainer took heed of their request and made himself scarce, leaving the two of them alone.

"Is there something you want to talk about Molls?" Matt asked, trying to be helpful. He sensed that something was wrong.

"I suppose so." Molly replied hesitantly. Trish hadn't exactly been all ears earlier in the night, and she desperately wanted to talk to somebody about Randy. She was very happy to be with him, but she still felt a nagging problem in the back of her mind. She wasn't convinced Matt would be able to help her much with that, and it wasn't the sort of thing she wanted to gossip about – with anyone.

"What is it then?"

"Randy. Do you... do you think..."

"Have you two fallen out?" Matt said abruptly. He didn't mean to say what he said, but couldn't help himself.

"Well..."

"I knew it. He can be an idiot sometimes!"

"No... wait!" Molly cut in, before Matt went off on a rant. "We haven't exactly fallen out... but..."

"What then?"

Molly became stuck for something to say. She wanted to talk about the burning issue in her mind, but continued to hold that subject back. Instead, she tried to think of a way out of it.

"Erm... I'm rooming with Trish tonight... do you two fancy joining us? It would be nice to spend some time together... I know I have been hogging Randy recently and he has been hogging me!"

Matt was taken aback by her offer, which came as a bolt out of the blue. He could not think of any reason why they shouldn't accept Molly's offer. Well, all except one.

"Would Trish be OK with that? Don't really want to intrude like."

"Erm... yeah!" Molly replied frantically; she suspected that Trish had issues with Randy and wouldn't be terribly receptive of her idea, but she wanted them to bury whatever problem they had between each other, so things could get back to normal. It was worth a try in her mind, anyway.

"Right... I'm up for it. It'll be good for us all to get to know each other a bit better... if you and Randy are going to be making a go of it."

"Oh... so he's told you all about us officially being a couple now then?"

Matt's eyes widened, as Molly reeled off her question. It was the first he had heard of it, and was surprised that Randy had not mentioned anything about it earlier. His downbeat mood left Matt wondering if his friend was comfortable with the idea or not. Then it dawned on him – the bet. The wager with the other guys still stood, as far as he was aware, and that had to be a complication on the landscape.

"Well... you know how excitable he gets!" he said, choosing to keep the truth to himself. He didn't want to alarm Molly unnecessarily. He was sure that all would be revealed later, when they all convened.

"Yes, I certainly do!"

The conversation stopped dead right there, until Matt gingerly crawled off the treatment table and looked like he wanted to slip away. "My back isn't feeling so bad now, I think I might go and pack my stuff up and get ready for tonight."

"Cool." Molly replied sweetly, "If you see Randy before I do, tell him about tonight. We are in room 424... meet us there as soon as you can."

"Deal. Catch you later then."

"See you. Oh... and can you send the trainer back in, if you see him?"

"No problem."

Molly breathed a sigh of relief as Matt left the treatment room; she felt like she had dodged a bullet in not disclosing too much information about her relationship with Randy. She felt that Matt was one of the more trustworthy guys in the locker room, but she had been wrong about people before. Whilst she sat deep in thought, she could faintly hear footsteps entering the room behind her. As she had been facing away from the door, she assumed it was the trainer returning.

"Do you mind giving my back a rub down... it's aching real bad!" she said. She didn't realise that it wasn't the trainer entering the room.

"I don't see why not."

The voice was female. Molly recognised it instantly; it was her best friend. She slowly turned over to face Trish, to tell her off for surprising her.

"Trish! Fancy sneaking up on me like that!"

"Sorry. I was..." Trish said, stopping short of disclosing the fact that she had been on the lookout for Matt.

"Looking for me?"

"Yeah. Looking for you."

"I'm glad you were." Molly said. She worried about what she was about to ask Trish, so she gave her best puppy dog look and opted to adopt an apologetic tone of voice. "I know we are supposed to be rooming tonight... but I was kind of hoping..."

Trish rolled her eyes. 'Here we go again...'

"Do you mind if Randy joins us?"

"Oh great! So I can sit in the corner like a gooseberry, whilst you two smooch on your bed? Thanks... you're such a good friend these days." Trish replied, in a very sarcastic tone.

"No, no... I've invited Matt too. I want us all to get to know each other better."

The scowl that had manifested itself on Trish's face relented and gave way to a look of curious satisfaction. She had been frustrated in her attempts to locate Matt, but Molly had seemingly solved that problem for her. Plus, she had the added bonus of being able to keep an eye on Randy and what she perceived to be his scheming ways.

"So... what do you think?"

"Yeah... fine by me." Trish responded coolly.

"Really?" Molly replied, surprised by Trish's sudden change of heart.

"Positive."

'Great!' Molly thought to herself, as Trish began to knead her back to help relieve some of the aches and pains. She was looking forward to the foursome spending a bit of time together. She was convinced that they could all get along, once they got to know each other.

Trish meantime was preparing some questions to level at Matt. She even thought of a few to grill Randy with. If he was doing anything untoward, she was going to enjoy making him sweat.


	19. The Stupid Bet

**Chapter 19: The Stupid Bet**

Randy didn't have much luck in his search Chris and Christian, but he eventually caught up with Matt after heading back to the main locker room for the men. He desperately wanted to resolve the situation with the bet, which continued to compromise his relationship with Molly.

"Matt! I've been looking for you everywhere man!" he shouted, as Matt packed away his gear.

"Sorry man... I had to have a massage. Hurt my back out there tonight." Matt apologized. He was curious to note that Randy seemed to have perked up a bit.

"Oh right... you OK now?"

"Yeah, it's cool."

"Great. Listen... have you seen Jericho and Christian anywhere? I think we all need to talk."

Matt stopped what he was doing and looked over towards Randy, who was not as perked up as he had first surmised. He had a worried expression on his face, almost frantic, and Matt quickly figured out why Randy was keen for them all to talk.

"They left earlier... I think they are going out on the town tonight. You're not worrying about the bet still?"

"Worrying? I guess you could say that. Neither of them are looking to claim are they?"

"Not as far as I'm..." Matt started, before he changed his line of inquiry, "You're not worried about paying up, are you?"

Randy shot back a mellow look to assure Matt that he had no worries about paying up if needs be. That was the least of his concerns. "Not at all man. If anything, I'll pay you guys off if we can forget that the bet ever happened."

"Well... that's fine by me... but I doubt that the other guys will go for that. I think they're having fun with this. They did hint that they were going out with their girls again this evening. I think they are determined to win this thing."

That was the last thing Randy wanted to hear. He stalled for a moment, before fumbling around in his coat pocket for his cellphone. Once he had found it, he hurriedly dialed Chris' number and awaited an answer. None was forthcoming, so he tried again.

"Who you ringing?" Matt asked, but no response was given.

Randy cursed as Chris failed to pick up again. Undeterred, he tried to call Christian. Once, twice, three times, there was no answer. Angered that he couldn't get in touch with either of them, he threw his phone into his kit bag and slammed his fist against the door of his locker.

"Hey Randy! Calm down man!"

Randy was in no mood to be calm. "This stupid bet has become the bane of my life. Can't you see that?"

"Yeah... I understand... but getting upset about it isn't going to help, is it?"

"Right... but I just wish we hadn't made it in the first place. All for a few lousy bucks."

"Look on the bright side... you and Molly wouldn't have gotten together if we hadn't made it."

There was no bright side to Randy. Matt had a good point; he probably wouldn't have found love with Molly without the bet, but it was little consolation. The bet made him miserable, and threatened to undermine everything he had achieved since the idea was spawned.

"I need to find them. I want this sorted tonight." he said sternly, with a look of determination on his face.

"Leave it 'til the morning Rand, it can wait. We need to chill out this evening." Matt said with an air of coolness.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Randy answered gruffly.

"I bumped into Molls in the treatment room funnily enough. As I am sure you're aware, she is rooming with Trish tonight and she asked if we wanted to join them later."

The idea didn't thrill Randy too much, as he had been looking forward to spending some quality time with his girlfriend once he had sorted his business out. However, he did remember that Molly had backed out of spending time with Trish at the weekend to spend time with him instead. The thing that worried him was that Matt and Trish were implicated in the bet and he didn't want any complications to jeopardize matters further.

"So what do you say?" Matt continued, as Randy stalled with his answer.

"I dunno... you and Trish... kind of complicated." he said, citing his concerns.

"Oh, come on! Forget about the bet for one night. It'll be fun."

'Yeah. Great fun.' Randy thought, but he could see that Matt was not about to take no for an answer. "Fine. As long as you promise that you won't tell Trish anything about the bet. Not a single thing."

"No worries... you have my word."

Randy hoped that Matt could keep his promise. He knew that if Trish ever found out about the bet, she would make his life hell. As he began to pack his belongings away, that thought sent an icy chill down his spine. 'Tomorrow, this gets resolved. End of.'

* * *

Molly gingerly made her way down the corridors back towards the women's locker room after the trainer had finished her back massage. On the way, she couldn't help but mull over how strange Trish's reaction had been earlier when she had suggested that Randy and Matt join them later in the evening. Things had felt tense between them ever since she had become close with Randy and she began to wonder if it was such a good idea after all.

The main reason for her thinking that was Trish's insistence that she had to leave in a hurry, shortly after Molly made the suggestion. Trish told her that she would meet her back at the hotel room later, which was almost unheard of; they regularly rode to and from the arena together. She was convinced that Trish was fed up with essentially being neglected and wanted to make a point. With that in mind, Molly was keen to give her a call and make sure that she was cool with her idea and wasn't just going along with it to keep her happy.

"Hello?"

"Hey T!"

"Hey Moll."

The flat tone of Trish's reply on the other end of the line suggested that she was unhappy in some way and that hurt Molly. She'd often found it difficult to make lasting friendships in the locker room for one reason or another and she hated the thought of losing Trish through neglect on her part.

"Are you back at the hotel yet?" she asked in a bright and breezy way.

"Yeah."

"Cool. Listen, I'm really sorry for even suggesting that Randy and Matt come over tonight... I'm going to call them now and cancel, OK?" She said, convinced that she was doing the right thing.

It seemed that Trish had other ideas, "What? Nah, it's fine honestly. I don't mind."

Molly was very surprised at how swiftly Trish had given her approval to stick to the original plan. So much so that she was actually lost for words and couldn't think of anything meaningful to say.

"You still there?" Trish asked, after Molly neglected to say anything in response.

"Yeah, sorry. I suppose I feel bad for abandoning you these past few days... we need to catch up and spend some time together. It's only fair."

"Don't sweat it..." Trish started, before a knock could be heard in the background. "Hang on, I think they are here already."

'Keen!' Molly thought to herself, as she awaited confirmation about the identity of the person or persons at the door to their hotel room.

"Yes it's them." Trish said, "I better let them in then, OK?"

"As long as you are sure?" Molly replied, desperate to get one final thumbs up from Trish.

"I'm sure. Now you better hurry up and get back here... otherwise, who knows what these pair might do to me."

"Trish!" Molly squealed in reply; but ultimately she was pleased to hear some dry wit from the Canadian diva. She sure did miss being around to see that side of her personality.

"See you soon then."

"Bye!" Molly answered and then hung up. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Trish was rarely one to mince her words and she was convinced that she would have been told about it if there was a problem with the guys coming over to their room. She couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and join them.


	20. The Hotel Room, Part One

**Chapter 20: The Hotel Room, Part One**

Thechilly atmosphere in her hotel room hardly thrilled Trish, as Randy and Matt chattered between themselves across the room from her. She turned her attention to the TV set in the room and flicked around the stations randomly to try and find something worth watching. It proved to be a fruitless task, as the programming was as mundane as the gibberish coming from the men.

She was tempted to interrupt them and spit out the burning question in her mind; she wanted to know what all the shady behavior was about. She had a motive for not doing so though and it was right before her. Whilst the conversation coming out of his mouth was pretty boring to listen to, he certainly wasn't boring to look at. She couldn't deny that she was deeply jealous of her best friend. Randy Orton was the kind of good looking guy she coveted. And Molly had him.

'Where is Molly?' she wondered. She checked the time on her cell phone; it had been a good twenty minutes or so since Molly had called her and the hotel wasn't all that far from the arena. Her plan of action had been for Molly to distract Randy for long enough so that she could interrogate Matt, who seemed like a bit of a soft touch. To her, Randy looked like a tougher nut to crack, but that was another good facet in her eyes.

"Hey Trish... why don't you join with us? You look a bit bored over there." Matt said, disturbing her evaluation of Randy.

She pretended to be engrossed with the images on the TV screen, when she was anything but interested in them. She wasn't in the mood for small talk.

"Leave her to it Matt, the TV is bound to be way more interesting than us anyway." Randy said dryly.

Trish felt his words cut into her, as if he could read her mind or something. 'Try telling that to Molly.' she thought. Her friend was completely besotted with him; she couldn't really fault her for that, but it still didn't sit kindly.

"Any idea how long Molly is going to be?" Matt asked, ignoring Randy's suggestion.

Trish felt compelled to shoot back her own cynical response. "Why don't you ask him?" she replied, referring to Randy.

Matt looked over to Randy, who grimaced in the direction of Trish. He turned back and shrugged his shoulders to indicate that he had no idea. He hadn't even spoken to Molly since his match. He suspected that things would be tense between him and Trish and it hadn't taken long for him to be proven right.

As Matt tried to re-engage in discussion, Randy couldn't help but glance across to Trish who lay on the bed on the opposite side of the room to him. She rested her cute face on the palm of her left hand, her blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. 'Why does she have to open her mouth?' he thought to himself, as he watched her twiddle strands of hair with her right hand. He tried not to be seduced by her, but he could not help it. She was stunningly attractive and he had always been a sucker for fair haired girls like her.

"Randy! Are you listening to me?" Matt shouted, which distracted both Randy and Trish.

"Can you keep the noise down! I'm trying to watch this!" Trish said scathingly, which only served to elicit another scowl from Randy.

"Sorry." Matt apologized.

Randy thought on his feet, because he didn't see what Matt had to be sorry about. He questioned whether Trish was paying any attention to the TV at all and he wanted to find out, "What is it about then Trish?"

"Huh?" she answered irritably. She stared right into Randy's eyes and became lost in them instantly. 'Why am I feeling like this!' she berated herself, as Randy pressed for an answer.

"The show on the box. What's it about?"

Silence descended on the room, as Trish fidgeted and squirmed; she had no idea what the topic of the show was. She considered looking back and making something up, but she became lost in his gaze and found herself mesmerized by it. Her body even tingled as she detected the hint of a smile on Randy's face.

Matt felt more bewildered than the other two people in the room, as he watched them staring each other out. "Come on guys, does it really matter?"

The focus quickly shifted to Matt, as both Randy and Trish scowled at him. Before either could vent any further fury in his direction, there was a sound at the door; Molly had finally arrived back at the room.

She walked in breezily with a big smile on her face, but that happy expression quickly turned into one of consternation when she saw the battle lines that had been drawn in front of her. After speaking with Trish earlier, she had been optimistic about the evening ahead. 'Serves me right for believing that!'

"Hey Molly!" Trish said brightly, her pout turning to a far more mellow complexion in the blink of an eye.

"What's wrong guys?" Molly asked, after dropping her bags to the ground. Trish's smokescreen reaction was not enough to curb her curiosity.

"Nothing honey." Randy said, as he made a move over to the door to welcome his girlfriend. He tried to shut out the images of Trish that had polluted his mind minutes earlier to focus on Molly's beauty. Thankfully for him, one glimpse of her girl next door charm was enough to jolt his heart back in the right direction.

Molly shunned his advances however, as he made a play to kiss her. She backed away and stepped aside, showing him up. She wanted any animosity cleared up before they went any further.

"Whatever has been going on here, I want you all to cut it out. Now!" she said forcefully. Matt nodded immediately with no fuss whatsoever. Trish and Randy glanced back at one another; Molly knew that getting them to agree on a truce was going to be very difficult indeed.

Randy swiveled back round to face Molly and gave her a sheepish look. He tried his hardest to look remorseful in the face of her demand for peace. "Sorry." he said, almost pathetically. Molly cringed, but swiftly accepted his apology and in turn rewarded it with a quick kiss on the cheek. After she had left her mark on Randy, she marched over to Trish to ensure that she was willing to let bygones be bygones too.

"Trish?"

"Oh, Molls... do I have to?"

"Yes! We're going out together, we can't keep fighting... it's not fair on me!" Molly said, imploring Trish to take her feelings into account.

Trish hesitated; it galled her to sit back and allow Molly to have everything her own way, but a little flash of inspiration in her head made it a tad easier. She nodded bashfully, then turned away in a huff. Her external petulance hid the quiet confidence she had inside that she could turn the tables on both Molly and Randy.

In the meantime, Molly walked over to Matt and made sure he was happy. "These two been giving you grief?"

Matt smiled when he heard Molly's playful question. "Nah. They love each other really!"

"Yeah... right." Molly said in return, dismissing Matt's joke out of hand. What she couldn't see was the sly glance of her best friend in the direction of her boyfriend. And the sly glance that was returned.


	21. The Hotel Room, Part Two

**Chapter 21: The Hotel Room, Part Two**

"Here... let me massage that sore back of yours." Randy said to Molly, after they had been sat in stony silence for a few minutes.

Molly took heed and rolled over, which allowed him to start soothing her aching body whilst she laid face first on the bed. She was content to watch the news on TV as he went about his work, taking in all that had happened during the day. Most days flew by on the road and she often missed out on all the latest current affairs and gossip.

"Have you seen this?" she commented, as images flashed on the screen of hurricane damage in Florida.

"Huh?" Randy grunted, oblivious to what she was referring to.

"The hurricane..." she started, before she figured that he wasn't paying any attention to the what she was talking about. She had noticed that he had been distant for most of the evening up to that point, save for his usual touchy-feely antics that appeared to be his trademark. Holding a conversation with the man continued to be a much tougher proposition.

She carefully wriggled out of the position she had been in and turned over to face Randy. She gave him a quizzical look, which was met with a puzzled stare of his own.

"What's the matter?" he said, bewildered by her actions, "Was I rubbing too hard?"

"It's nothing to do with the massage Randy."

"So what is it then?"

"You. What is wrong with you tonight?" she asked in a pained voice.

"Nothing! I'm fine!" he said, belying the truth that he was totally distracted by other things. He wanted to focus on Molly, but for the first time since the night they clicked at the bar he couldn't bring himself to.

"Are you sure?" Molly answered, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Yeah." he said decisively. He chanced a glance across the room to Trish, who looked bored out of her mind. She was in the company of his best friend Matt, who was rarely the life and soul of the party. He actually felt kind of sorry for her, deep down in his heart. She had really gotten to him, in a way that made him feel uneasy.

"There you go again!" Molly said, trying to keep her voice down so as not to attract Matt and Trish's attention. "It's as if you are in a world of your own tonight!"

"Excuse me?" Randy replied, as he turned back to his girlfriend. He picked up on her troubled expression and began to feel sorry for her too. He wasn't having the greatest of evenings himself either.

"I thought this would be a good idea tonight. Give us a chance to get to know each other better, in a group. Brilliant, except nobody wants to talk to each other. You're all just looking around with miserable faces. I don't know why I bothered." she said, in a sad tone. She felt fed up with the way things were going and couldn't help but speak her mind.

"Aww... I'm sorry babe."

She feigned a weak smile after hearing his apology, but it didn't make her feel better at all. She also felt detached from him for the first time since the drunken night at the bar, when everything had felt so perfect.

"I'm going to watch TV." she said, turning away from him. She hated being ignorant like that, but she felt like he was being ignorant towards her. Whatever was on his mind, she wanted him to sort it out.

"Don't be like that Molls." he said desperately, trying to work his way back into her good books.

He huddled over to her and gave her a kiss on the back of her neck. She barely flinched though and he realised that his efforts were forlorn. When he got no reaction after a few more seconds of kissing, his blood began to simmer and he became impatient.

"Fine. Be like that." he said, with an exasperated huff.

Molly had secretly been enjoying the soft kisses on her neck and wondered if she had maybe been a bit harsh on her boyfriend. Before she had any chance to check on him, she felt the bed jerk ever so slightly as he clambered off it and stormed away. 'Oh no... I've messed up now.' she thought to herself. She looked across the room to Trish, who looked stunned by what had transpired and gave her the kind of look that asked the question, 'should I go after him?'

Trish was sat all on her lonesome, as Matt had excused himself for a moment to use the bathroom. She shook her head and gave Molly her opinion. "Leave him to it... let him stew for a while. He'll be back."

"You think so?" Molly asked, with hope attached to her question.

Trish nodded and gave her a casual wink. She watched as Molly sighed and rolled back onto her side to watch TV. She shook her head at her lovesick friend, knowing full well that she wanted to go after Randy. 'Just doing what's best for you.' she thought and she let out a sinister chuckle under her breath.

She averted her gaze from Molly and couldn't believe what she saw in front of her, on the floor next to the seat Matt had been sitting on. His cell phone must have fallen out of his pocket and she retrieved it hastily. Her mind went into overdrive as she couldn't help herself; she instantly went into his message box and began searching for some incriminating evidence on Randy. It didn't take her long to find exactly what she was looking for; a tactless message from Chris Jericho, which brought a devious smile to her face.

_going to seal the bet this evening! told you that randy boy has no chance with molly, like she is ever going to sleep with his lame ass! 300 bucks coming my way!_

'Well, well, well.' she mused, as she finished reading the message. Her suspicions had been proven correct; the guys were up to no good and Randy's interest in Molly had simply been an effort to win a juvenile bet with his friends. She felt angered for a second, but then had other ideas. She wondered if she could use the information against him, to get something in return. Despite him being a rogue and a fraud, she was powerless to stop herself feeling attracted to him. It was a painful kind of lust, but one she didn't want to push aside.

She was snapped out of her conniving thoughts, as the bathroom door opened and Matt re-emerged. She panicked as she continued to grasp hold of his cell phone, which prompted her to think of a hasty excuse.

"Erm... you dropped your phone Matt." she blurted, waving it about in his direction.

He looked puzzled by her reaction, but gratefully accepted his phone back as she handed it to him. He didn't have time to think about that weirdness, as he looked around and saw that Molly was sat all alone on the bed.

"Where is Randy?"

"He... um... he had to pop out. I think."

"Pop out?" Matt replied. He speculated whether Randy had fallen out with Molly, or had gone to seek Jericho and Christian to resolve the situation with the bet. They were the two most likely scenarios.

"Yeah. He won't be long."

Matt wasn't convinced and wanted to hunt Randy down to make sure he was OK. "I'm going to catch up with him, if you don't mind."

"Well... you don't have to do that. You can wait here with me, until he comes back." Trish offered, even though she figured that he wouldn't go for her proposal.

"No offence, but he's in that sort of mood tonight."

"Oh... I see." Trish said, intrigued to hear about Randy's state of mind. She considered whether he was stressing about the bet and his tiff with Molly was a factor in that.

"Right, better dash."

Trish grabbed his arm before he could leave. "Wait. I'll come with you."

Matt turned to her and was bemused by her sudden interest in Randy. They had practically been tearing each other apart earlier and now she was offering her assistance. Something didn't sit right about that.

"You want to come? Do you mind if I ask why?"

Trish paused, whilst she tried to formulate a reason in her mind. It took a few moments, but a good one sprung to mind. "OK. I admit it. Randy had a bit of a row with Molly."

"I knew it."

"I'd stay here with her, but I think she wants a bit of time to herself. So I might as well make myself useful." Trish said, pleased with her convincing suggestion.

"Well..." Matt started, not so convinced, "I'm not sure."

"Oh... come on..." Trish said, as she inched closer to him, fluttered her eyelashes and caressed his body gently with her hand. "It makes sense for the both of us to go looking for him."

He became perturbed by her presence, but quickly fell under her spell. Her touch mesmerized him and as much as he was confused by her initial lies about Randy's disappearance, he felt that she did have a point about the two of them seeking him out. Molly did look awfully fed up on the bed, as if she wanted to be left alone.

"OK." he said cautiously, which brought a smile to Trish's face. He was glad to see that she had perked up a little, if nothing else.

"Great. I'll just let Molly know that we are going after him." she said, with another trick in mind.

"Right. I'm going to try his cell phone... I'll be in the lobby."

Trish nodded as Matt purposefully made his way out of the room to try and call Randy. 'He really is hard work.' she thought and breathed a sigh of relief as he walked away. She motioned over to the bed, where Molly was laid, her eyes glued to the television set.

"Hey Molls." Trish said, which scarcely attracted any reaction out of Molly. "Me and Matt are going to head out to a bar. Hope you don't mind."

"Huh?" Molly replied, as she only half heard Trish's words. It didn't really matter what she had said, because her mind was totally preoccupied with thoughts of Randy and how badly she'd stuffed things up.

"Me and Matt are heading out to a bar." Trish repeated, unashamedly lying once more.

"Oh. Have fun." Molly replied in a deadbeat fashion.

Trish hung back for a second and felt a tinge of remorse for her suffering friend. Only for a second mind. 'No time for sentiment I'm afraid Molls. I think me and your boyfriend need to have a little chat.' she thought, as she left the bedside to help Matt find the cunning Randy.


	22. The Night Club

**Chapter 22: The Night Club**

"Are you sure you want to come help me?"

"100 percent positive."

As Trish reaffirmed her intent to help Matt track down Randy, her scheming mind continued to formulate a plan to get exactly what she wanted from the Legend Killer. She wasn't totally sure how far she could go, but her wicked imagination went to work when she imagined herself sharing an intimate moment with him. She couldn't get his image out of her head and she was feeling less and less inclined to attempt to do so.

After several attempts to contact Randy on his cell phone, Matt had eventually got through and discovered that he had gone to a nightclub to confront Christian and Jericho. He hadn't mentioned anything about the bet, but Matt could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't in the mood for small talk and wanted to get things sorted out once and for all.

"What's the name of this place then?" Trish asked, as they walked down a secluded back street. The street lighting was pretty much non existent and there seemed to be nobody around.

"Silhouette's. It's just around the corner from here apparently."

Trish was glad to hear of its close proximity; she didn't like being in such a seedy part of the town and even less so for being in the company of Matt. He didn't exactly fill her with confidence on the off chance that somebody might come up to them and confront them. As that disturbing thought crossed her mind, she noticed a neon sign just down the road with Silhouette's flashing on it. 'Thank heavens for that.' she thought.

Matt led the way, as they reached the outside of the club. It looked pretty uninspiring to the naked eye, with little fanfare on the exterior. It was almost as if the place was trying to hide itself away from the public, which alarmed Trish.

Two beefy looking doormen stood between them and the steps that led into the club. Matt walked in with little fuss, but Trish attracted much more attention. The two men on the door scrutinized her up and down, before exchanging cursory glances with each other. They both chuckled and then stood aside to allow her to enter. She frowned at the one on her left who winked at her as she slowly walked past. 'Jerk.'

"Hey... isn't she that wrestling chick? You know, the one off the TV?" she heard one of the guys say as she began to descend the staircase that led into the club.

"Looked like her. Wonder what she is doing coming to a place like this?" the other man replied.

"Excuse me?" Trish said snottily, turning back to them momentarily.

"Nothing Miss." responded the man who had winked to her. He looked like he was desperately trying not to laugh, which was made even more difficult when Trish scowled in his direction. She set off once more, storming off in anger. She had no idea what their problem was, it was as if they had never seen a woman walk into the club before.

When she reached the door at the bottom of the stairs and walked through it, she immediately realised why they had looked so curiously at her and been so surprised to see her. The only women in there were working – she'd walked into a strip club. Horrified, she considered turning around and walking straight back out, as it was not her idea of fun, but she gritted her teeth and retained her focus on finding Randy. There was no time to lose in her eyes.

Much to her surprise, the club was packed. There were hundreds of disheveled men, the odd businessman and one or two good looking guys in there, as she scanned around looking for Matt. He had disappeared and left her on her own, which frustrated her no end. A few of the clientele in the club noticed her walking in and exchanged knowing glances with each other as they clearly discussed how fine Trish was. As much as that made her feel sick, a quick look at some of the girls who were working left her in no doubt that she was a cut above.

"Hello there... I don't believe I've seen you working here before?"

Trish heard a voice over her shoulder and turned to face a busty brunette with a maniacal-like expression on her face. She looked seriously crazy and not the sort of person that Trish would normally exchange words with.

"I don't work here." Trish said, in an abrupt fashion. "I'm looking for somebody."

"Oh right. I'm sorry. Well my name is Mickie, so maybe I could help you find this somebody." the girl replied. She pulled some weird facial expressions as she spoke her words, which served to creep Trish out far more than the sullied looks she had gotten from some of the men upon entering.

"I'm OK thank you very much. Now if you'll..." Trish started, before Mickie grabbed her arm and her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Oh my God! It's Trish Stratus! Oh my God! I'm like your biggest fan!" she said excitedly, bouncing around on the spot. She refused to let go of Trish's arm, which riled the blonde even more. She was not a happy bunny.

"Will you get your hands off of me!" she said angrily, pulling herself away from the jumpy brunette.

That didn't seem to deter Mickie, as she stood back slightly and held her hands up. "Sorry! Sorry! Didn't mean to!"

Trish sighed and continued to look around the room for any sign of either Matt, or hopefully Randy. There were too many people milling around to make that task simple whilst she remained static.

"So who are you looking for?" Mickie persisted, much to the chagrin of Trish.

"None of your business." she replied and tried to move away, but Mickie was not prepared to give up so easily.

"I bet it is Randy Orton. I mean, can you believe it? Randy Orton and Trish Stratus both in this club on the same night! How exciting!"

Trish became interested in a hurry, as Mickie mentioned that Randy was in there. 'She might have a use after all.' she pondered.

"Randy?" she said curiously, raising an eyebrow. "Have you seen him?"

"Ha! So you are looking for him!" Mickie replied fervently, jumping around on the spot once more. Trish rolled her eyes as Mickie failed to answer her question. She had never seen anyone so crazy or with as much energy in all her life.

"Have you seen him, or not?"

"Yeah! Follow me!"

'Finally.' Trish thought, as Mickie grabbed her hand and practically dragged her across the floor of the club. They attracted yet more unwelcome looks, as they snaked their way between the crowds of people. Trish tried to keep her head down, so as not to attract any more attention. She was used to being noticed in public, but didn't want to become renowned for being spotted in a strip club.

They headed to a sheltered corner of the club, and went through a black curtain into a concealed area. Trish looked up, but could not see anybody around and that disturbed her. Mickie turned around and looked like she was going to jump on her or something similarly ludicrous, but instead she pointed towards a dark blue door behind Trish.

"He's in there, I think!"

"OK." Trish said, almost cowering from the animated Mickie who was begging her to go inside and have a look. "Thank you for your help. I will see you later, maybe?"

"Really? Oh my God! Yes! I will see you later!" Mickie responded, before she skipped away with a spring in her step.

'Lunatic.' Trish mused, as she apprehensively motioned towards the door and looked to prize it open gently. Before she could however, she heard some heated voices coming from inside, which gave her second thoughts. She cupped her hand against the door and tried to make head or tail of what was being said, but the voices were indecipherable. She stepped aside and decided to wait to see if anybody would emerge. The club was dodgy enough for her to suspect the legitimacy of Mickie's claim that Randy was in that room at all.

As her heart pounded furiously against her chest, she hoped that she wouldn't have to wait too long to find out.


	23. The Showdown

**Chapter 23: The Showdown**

"Oh, come on Randall... it's only a bit of fun!"

"Yeah... what a blast." Randy said in a deadpan tone, as Chris Jericho tried to convince him that the bet they had made was nowhere near as detrimental as the Legend Killer perceived it to be.

"Molly Holly has really stung you bad, hasn't she son?" Chris added, as he continued to mock their relationship. "Buzzing around in that little head of yours, toying with you. I think she is the one having a blast!"

Randy flipped, as he grew tired of Chris' taunting and he grabbed hold of him and slammed him against the wall. He had rounded up both Chris and Christian and had taken them to a remote part of the club to sort out the situation with the bet once and for all. Chris tried to fight back, but Randy had him pinned and was poised to smash his fist into the Canadian's face, before Christian stepped in to break them up.

"Hey guys! Cut it out!"

"This jackass has been asking for it for way too long. Everything is just one big joke to him." Randy yelled, with a snarling expression on his face. He looked like he wanted to kill somebody and Chris Jericho was the man in his immediate firing line.

"Jackass? Who you calling jackass?" Chris fired back, showing some fire himself. "You need to wake up and see how much of an ass clown you have become recently. Mister lovey dovey... give me a break."

As Jericho snickered in the face of Randy, Christian had to physically step between them again as Randy sought to exact retribution once more. For once, Christian didn't want to play jester, as he felt some sympathy towards Randy.

"Come on Chris, give it a break man. The young lad is in love, maybe we should leave him be."

Jericho looked at Christian with a look of amazement on his face, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Excuse me? Leave him be? What about the bet?"

"What about it? Maybe we should cut Randy out of it and let him live in peace with Molly."

Randy stood back, also looking surprised about what Christian had suggested. He was pleased to hear it, none the less.

"No way. Bet is on, whether he likes it or not. He agreed to the bet, so he should be a man about it. Jerk."

"Why you..." Randy said again, but once more Christian held him back; albeit with great difficulty. Jericho was enjoying winding him up, as he pulled faces as Randy was held back.

"That's enough!"

All three men stopped in their tracks, as a figure stood at the door and made their way in, once order had been restored. "What is going on here?"

There was silence in the room, as Matt Hardy shut the door behind him and joined the fray. He looked horrified by the scene in front of him. Randy fought his way out of Christian's grasp and brushed himself off. He cooled down a little bit, but was still angered by Chris' behaviour.

"We need to sort this mess out Matt. This pair have been arguing about the bet." Christian explained.

"Indeed we do." Matt agreed, as Jericho stepped forward to say his peace.

"There's nothing to sort out! The bet stands, until somebody wins it... what is so difficult to accept about that?"

"Randy?" Matt said, looking towards his best friend.

Randy said nothing, as instead he pulled out his wallet and produced some crisp dollar bills. He walked forward and handed them to Matt and gave him a nod. Matt paused for a moment, but soon accepted the money and counted it out.

"I think we should get away from here and leave Randy to it. As far as I am concerned, this bet is done and dusted." Matt said, taking charge of the situation decisively.

"Agreed." Christian added, as he headed towards the door along with Matt.

"But..." Chris tried to start, but Christian grabbed his arm and practically dragged him towards the door.

"Bye Jericho." Randy muttered, as Y2J was hauled out of the room and back out into the nightclub.

With an exasperated sigh, he backed against the nearest wall and allowed himself to slump down to the ground. He thrust his head into his hands and allowed all of his frustration to drain away. As far as he was concerned, he'd just achieved closure on the bet and he could get back to concentrating on making the most of his relationship with Molly. He realised that he had some work to do after their tiff earlier in the evening, but the biggest obstacle had been overcome. At least he thought so.

"Well, well. Look what we have here." a female voice said. Randy was shaken out of his thoughts immediately, as he looked up and was met with the sight of the last person he wanted to see. Trish Stratus.

"Wha... I... huh..." Randy stuttered, as his mind went into overdrive. 'What is she doing here? Did she overhear the row? Does she know about the bet?'

"You really are a piece of work, aren't you Randy?" she said, as cold as ice.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." he replied, trying to act with a semblance of calm, "If this is about Me and Molly..."

"Of course it is." Trish cut him off, mid sentence. "But not that stupid argument you had at the hotel. Oh no... far worse than that."

Randy gulped, as the realisation set in that Trish knew everything. He panicked, as it felt like the walls had begun to close in around him. He slowly picked himself off the floor and considered making a run for it, but Trish shook her head and warned him to stand back.

"Don't even think about making a run for it. All it will take is one call to Molly and I can make sure she knows everything. Every last detail."

"What are you talking about?" he replied, desperately trying to deny any knowledge of what she was referring to.

"Stop messing me about Randy. You've been a very bad boy and as a result you are going to have to face the consequences."

As Trish stood with a smug grin on her face in front of him, he pondered whether it was better to come clean about the bet. He had nothing to lose, but just as he was about to confess all his cell phone began to ring. The distinct feeling of nausea enveloped him, as he knew who was trying to get through to him. It was the tone he had assigned to inform him that Molly was trying to call. He went to retrieve the phone from his pocket, but once more Trish had him under her spell.

"Uh uh... don't answer it." she told him.

"But..."

"No buts. You answer it and I will be forced to tell Molly all about this little bet of yours."

Randy felt awful, as Trish revealed that she did indeed know about the bet. He felt compelled to do exactly as she said, even though deep down he didn't want to. He couldn't help but stare into her eyes and the sensation that came over him was markedly similar to what he had felt in the hotel room. She mesmerized him, to the point that he felt petrified to the spot. He couldn't move his limbs and he couldn't move his lips either.

Trish smelt the fear in the air and sought to pounce on her prey, with little remorse at all. She had Randy at her mercy and she was intent on making the most of that. Molly had been having all the fun recently and she was tired of playing second fiddle. She seductively inched her way over to the corner that Randy was stood in and prepared to make her move on him. There were barely a few centimeters between them, as Trish readied herself to pull him in for a passionate kiss.

"Stop!" Randy cried, as he finally came to his senses. As tempting as the vixen was before him, he felt mortified about the prospect of cheating on his girlfriend. The one he had given his heart to and pledged all of his love to. Molly.

Trish was about to ignore his plea for clemency, before there was yet another disruption. Trish cursed, as she heard another female voice at the door.

"Trish! Randy! Oh my God! Hope I'm not interrupting anything!"

Randy looked over curiously at the door, as he did not recognize the brown haired girl who was stood there. "A friend of yours?" he asked Trish, belying his nerves inside for a moment.

"Very funny. This is not finished... not by a long shot." she replied, with incredible venom in her voice. She stared Randy out for a good five seconds or so, before she retreated to leave the room. Whilst that left him in limbo, he was glad that she was gone; for the time being at least.

"Wait... Trish! Where are you going!" the girl cried, as the blonde burst past her at the doorway and stomped away. She considered going after her, but one look at an almost shivering Randy in the corner prevented her from doing so. "Um... are you OK?" she asked softly.

"I'll survive." he answered, as she made her way across to him. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure?"

He held out his palm to her and after a few blank seconds, she realised what he was getting at. "Oh! Yes!" she said, as she put her hand onto his palm and allowed him to brush a kiss of the back of it. "I'm Mickie James! I'm a big fan of yours and Trish's!"

"Really? Glad to hear it." Randy said, letting go of her hand. He had met some excitable fans in the past, but Mickie was hyper in the extreme. She was actually shaking more than he had been a few moments earlier.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, in a sheepish tone.

"I'm fine..." he said, hiding the worry he felt in his heart, "But you might want to check on Trish."

"Ah... OK. Good idea!" she said and gave him a brief wave before dashing off.

Randy wiped his brow as he fell back into a slumped position against the wall once more. Things had just gotten even more complicated and he had no idea of where to turn next. He just wanted to slip into Molly's arms and get a big hug from her, but it felt like she was a million miles away. The major worry for him was whether he had blown it completely with her; he had a horrid feeling that Trish was about to make his life a complete misery.


End file.
